For Her
by Denim88
Summary: My first fanfic. It takes place about a month after the battle with the Metarex, and about the things Tails is coping with after losing Cosmo. DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Sonic and all related characters are property of Sega, and they do not belong to me. **

Prologue

Tails P.O.V.

Ever Since we returned home from our adventure in space, I made no efort to leave my house. I found sleep almost impossible, and I hardly ate. I just found nothing could get my mind off of what had happened to her, to Cosmo...

I spent hours in my workshop, not fixing or building, but thinking. I felt a heavy weight on my chest, the feeling of hoplessness and sorrow. I guess I saw everything that had happened as my fault, despite the reason that I had no other options. I had made a promise to her, but she asked me to break it, so she could save me and the others. I wonder what could have happened differently if what I kow now could have been known during that journey through space...

...she may have been standing next to me perhaps...

Chapter One

Days went by, and I was starting to feel sick. I was lying in my bed, when I heard a knocking sound from my front door. I didn't bother to get out of bed, instead I turned to my window by my bed and peeked through the shades.

"Tails? Tails, open the door, it's Amy! Sonic wanted me to check on you!" called the voice of Amy Rose. I sighed and got up. I guess it wouldn't hurt to say hi to her at least.

I went to the door and unlocked it. I then without saying a word to her walked to a nearby chair and sat down. Amy sat across from me and looked at me. I could tell she was shocked by my appearance.

I guess I couldn't blame her. I looked at my reflection in a window. My hair was matted and tangled from not showering, my eyes had dark rings under them from my lack of sleep, and I looked skinnier from not eating enough.

"...Tails, what's happened to you?" Amy asked, shaking her head sadly with a frown.

"Is that question even necessary Amy?" I responded in numbly.

Amy bit her lip and looked at me. Tears came down her cheeks as she spoke, "Tails, you've got to move on. Cosmo will never be forgotten, and the fact that she-"

"The fact that she loved me was the reason why I hurt so much more than anyone else..." I interrupted glumly, staring a hole in the wall.

Amy got up and walked over to me, and tried to smile, but sobbed a little. She was probably upset about my predicament more than about the events that happened little less than a month ago.

"Amy, if I could turn back time, I would have stopped the Metarex before things became too desperate. I-I would have made the Blue Typhoon better equipped, and learned how to use Chaos Control, and-" I broke off, heaving and shaking with tears.

"Tails, I know it hurts, but you can't change the past. I know how Cosmo and you felt for each other. As far as you using the Chaos emeralds, though, I don't think it would've been possible. Sonic and Shadow are the only two that I know who can do it." Amy said gently, starting to wipe away her own tears. She put a hand on my shoulder and spoke again, "We're all going to a dance downtown tonight, do you want to come along?"

I thought about it for a minute, and saw that I could probably use a little fresh air.

"...Sure, why not?" I sighed.

Amy smiled a little and spoke again, "No one will force you to dance, we just want to be here for you." Amy then gave me a hug.

"So where's the dance at?" I asked her as she got up.

"Don't worry, just be at my place in two hours, and bring the X Tornado if you can." she answered. She left afterwards and I began getting ready. I showered for awhile, then attempted to comb down my bangs, but gave up after about five minutes.

Before I left for the garage where the X Tornado was, I went the widow in the kitchen. The sun was beginning to set, there were streaks of orange, yellow, and pink covering the horizon. I looked at the clay pot by the window, and felt tears once again go down my face.

After that final battle with Dark Oak of the Metarex army and after Cosmo's death, Sonic had returned to the Blue Typhoon with a single seed, the only thing left of Cosmo, the beautiful flower-like girl who I loved still to this day. He gave it to me, and I had nutured it into a small little plant. I could tell it was from Cosmo; it had a delicate look to it, but was strong, just like Cosmo's spirit.

I shut the window so the cold wouldn't get in. The golden rays shined off of it's two small leaflets, giving it a serene look.

"I'll be back, don't worry." I said to the plant. I found myself talking to the plant now and again, maybe because I felt a part of Cosmo still lived in it. I then headed out to the garage.

Minutes later I was in the X Tornado, flying thorugh the pre-night sky. After about five or six minutes, I was descending onto the dirt road infront of Amy's house. Sonic, Amy, Cream, and even Knuckles were standing in the front yard. I was a little early, but that didn't seem to be a problem.

Sonic was the first to greet me. I had to admit it had been a while since i last talked to him.

"Hey bud, how are you doing?" he asked in a friendly voice, but I also sensed a touch of sadness to it as well. He didn't show it through his face though.

"I've been better, but I'm alright..." I answered.

"Glad to see you came Tails, we were worried you would never leave that workshop of yours." Sonic added with a smile. I smiled as well.

The others walked over to greet me, Knuckles gave me curt nod and hello, and Cream and her chao friend Cheese gave me a friendly hug.

"Well, maybe we should get going." Amy said while the sky turned a bluish-black shade.

"Let's take the X Tornado downtown Tails, it shouldn't take too long to get their by air." Cream suggested as we got ready. This would've worked had there been less of us, but even with the new addition for seating of another person on the X Tornado, there wouldn't be enough room.

"Sonic, you can run on the ground, but I don't think this would work, I can only hold a total of three people in the X Tornado including myself." I said, scratching my head.

"No worries bud, I can carry Amy." Sonic told me, and he picked up Amy. She put her arms around his shoulders. No surprise there, but then Sonic did something unexpected; he smiled and held her closer, "Try not to fall behind Tails, I know the way to the dance." he added and zoomed off with Amy.

"Um...what just happened there?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

"Sonic and Amy have been dating for awhile...about three weeks, and I guess they are doing really well..." Knuckles answered with a shrug.

"Well I think it's about time for them!" Cream exclaimed happily, and Cheese added a cheerful, "Chao chao!" at the end.

We got in the X Tornado and took off. I managed to find the blue streak of Sonic speeding over the landscape. I still couldn't believe it, Sonic and Amy Rose were **_dating_** each other...I felt like laughing.

" I hear that this dance club is the best one in town, and it just opened this past week." Cream stated as the downtown lights came into view.

I found Sonic and Amy near the edge of the downtown area near where I landed my X Tornado. I secretly admired the wonderful job I did on parking it by the curb of the street.

"Well come on guys! The club's already got reservations for a table of seven for us to sit at." Amy said as we walked towards a building with green, blue, and pink neon lights. Again, I was confused by what she said, since there was only five of us. When we entered and headed for our table, I saw two figures sitting down already.

"Is that Rouge and...Shadow?" I asked, trying to figure out who they were through the flashing lights, and otherwise dim lit club.

"Amy, over here!" I heard the voice of a familiar female bat call out; sure enough, it was them.

I guess with the relative peace that had settled in on the planet, things were getting better for us...most of us anyway, excluding me. Rouge and Knuckles were closer to each other now, and Shadow even managed to be a bit more socialable.

Strange how something so devastating could bring such changes...

End of Chapter 1. So what did you think? Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Amy pulled Sonic out to the dance floor and he followed. Rouge and Knuckles did likewise and danced as well. Cream danced playfully with Cheese. I simply sat down and looked on.

Cosmo and I could've been dancing out there...

"I'm not one for dancing myself." I heard a low voice say, and jumped from surprise. I turned to see Shadow behind me, and he took a seat.

"I don't think I could ever dance with another girl for the rest of my life..." I sighed, looking down.

Shadow must have understood my thoughts, and he spoke calmly, "Tails...I never knew Cosmo, and I know that I had caused you all trouble on the Blue Typhoon. She seemed like a caring girl." He said, looking straight at me.

I simply nodded my head, "I loved her Shadow, and always will. Before I shot the cannon, I spoke to her, be it in my mind, or her spirit actually talking to me. When she...died, I saw her standing in front of me. She held my face to hers, bent down as though she was going to kiss me, then she...she...dissapeared. I felt her Shadow, and I still do." I said, trying to remain strong in front of Shadow.

Shadow was now looking towards the others dancing, then he spoke again," Tails...I'm sorry..."

I looked at him, a little shocked and surprised to hear **_him_** apologize, it seemed unusual for him, "No, no, I don't blame you Shadow. Had Sonic and you not destroyed Dark Oak, then we would probably all be dead. It's just that, I-I should have done more." I said trying not to sound to distraught.

"Done more? Like what?" Shadow asked, seeming genuinely interested in what I said."

I thought how to best answer his question, especially since it was Shadow I was speaking to. I decided to answer him straight forward, " Chaos control, use the Chaos emeralds and become stronger. I could have saved her somehow."

"Chaos control?" Shadow echoed with a inquisitive look on his face. He then looked at me again, " I don't think that would have worked...it usually takes more than just coming in contact with the Chaos emeralds."

"I could've learned how..." I defended, turning to Shadow, "I mean, if you and Sonic can do it, than so can I." I remained calm, but I felt my fists clench.

"True, but would you be able to fight? I mean, after that incident with me on your ship, I'd say that even if you used Chaos control, you would need to know how to fight...you have alot to learn about hand to hand Tails. I'm not trying to insult you, but it's true." Shadow pointed out, and it did make sense.

"I guess you're right. Well, still, anything could have helped." I sunk down in my chair, trying not to think too much about it.

Shadow got up from his seat, then turned to me, looking me straight in the eyes. I felt a little intimidated, even though he wasn't trying to be threatening. He then spoke again, "Tell you what, sometime soon, I'll have Sonic and I teach you how to use the emeralds. I don't know when, but sometime soon. That sound okay?"

"Really? Thanks, Shadow!" I exclaimed with hope, jumping up from my chair. Shadow smiled a little then nodded. He then turned and walked over to Sonic and Knuckles.

I sat back in my chair, feeling slightly better, but still sad. Even if I did learn how to use the Chaos emeralds...it wouldn't bring Cosmo back.

I think I sat in that chair for a good fifteen minutes before I felt someone looking at me.

"Well, are you going to just sit here all night, or what?" said a feminine voice.

I looked up and saw a pair of bright teal eyes staring at me. I smiled weakly, "Hey Rouge, how are you? I'm...just not up for anything right now..."

I felt her put a gentle hand on my shoulder, and I could feel my face burning up, "Tails, come on, you can't be like this forever. It's not good for you. You can dance with me; Knuckles won't mind." she then gave me her signature wink, and I laughed.

"Okay, okay...I'm not a very good dancer though." I said, giving in. I could tell my face must have been a light scarlet color by now. I got up and let her direct me to the dance floor. A slow song started playing, and I saw Amy and Sonic looking at each other dreamily.

I brought my hands to Rouge's hips after a little coaxing from her to stop being so shy, and rested my head against hers. Rouge drew me closer, and I felt my heart begin beating rapidly. I couldn't help but sweat. Rouge could tell I was nervous, and she laughed.

"Not bad for someone who's not good at dancing." she said quietly in my ear, I knew she was only teasing me, and laughed a little more.

It felt wierd to dance with Rouge of all people. Though she didn't show it, she was one of the nicest girls I knew. She only acted tough, but with her relationship with Knuckles being evident now, she must have saw the tough girl act to be useless. Dancing with her brought me a brief moment of comfort that snapped me out of my grief.

When the song stopped, she loosened her grip and said to me, "You're a wonderful kid Tails, don't ever forget that. You've got friends here, including me, okay? I know Cosmo's watching you, and she's happy to see you alive and among friends."

My eyes welled up with tears, but I was smiling. I couldn't help but picture my Cosmo watching me, just like a guardian angel would.

"Thanks Rouge." I said, then gave her a hug.

Rouge then bent down and said in my ear, "By the way, I think Knuckles could learn a thing or to from you about slow dancing. Feel free to dance with me again sometime." she tehn gave me another flirty wink, along with a quick peck on the cheek.

I didn't dance anymore that night, but I did talk with the others a bit. Rouges words gave me some joy. I **_did_** have friends, **_and_** an angel watching me.

When the club began to close, we all headed out. Knuckles carried a sleeping Cream and Cheese into the X Tornado and got them settled in. Before I could go, Amy called out to me.

"Hey Tails...you going to be okay? You're welcome to stay with me and Sonic at my place tonight." Amy offered with a smile.

The main concern on my mind right now was the plant back home, but then I thought back on Rouge's words.

"Sure Amy, just let me stop at my place after I drop off Knuckles and Cream." I answered. Amy gave me a concerned look, "I just have to check up on things, that's all. I'll be there in less than an hour." I assured her with a smile.

I flew to Cream's house first, and then after dropping her off, I arrived at Knuckles' place on Angel Island. I could see the peaceful glow of the Master emerald through the tree line. I suddenly had an idea cross my mind.

When we landed, I stayed for a few minutes, and decided to ask Knuckles something, "Hey Knuckles, can I ask you a question regarding the...Master emerald?"

Knuckles raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, "Sure, might as well. Probably better that you ask me than someone else." he replied.

I pondered on how to approach the question without angering the echidna; he could be quite tempermental when it came to the Master emerald.

"Is it possible to...use the Master emerald's power to make someone stronger, like the Chaos emeralds?" I asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Knuckles asked with unexpected calmness in his voice.

"Well, to put it plainly...can you obtain Chaos control with it?" I explained.

Knuckles began to tap his foot, then rubbed his chin. He was deep in thought, so I knew that it was best not to disturb his thoughts and just wait.

"Don't think so Tails. I never experienced Chaos control from the Master emerald, neither did Sonic or Shadow as far as I know. I did sort of experience Chaos control in the past way back when...I think I did at least, but let me tell you, it's a kind of power that overwhelms you. You feel almost invincible. Through the Master emerald though, no I don't think it's possible. Why do you want to know?" he answered after a minute or two.

"Just a thought that came to mind." I lied, knowing that telling him I wanted to learn Chaos control may seem ridiculous.

"Shadow already told me Tails, and I think if you want to learn how, then go ahead. It'll be difficult, but Sonic and Shadow are probably the best teachers you could find...heck maybe I'll join in the lessons." Knuckles said with a grin.

I said bye to Knuckles and flew back home. I packed a few belongings, including my plant. I secured the plant in the seat behind me, then took off for Amy's place.

I reached her house in about ten minutes; I wasn't going as fast as I had earlier. I saw Amy's lights on in the house, and landed on the dirt road. I saw Sonic waiting for me in the front yard, tapping his foot.

"About time Tails! Geez, you took almost fourty-five minutes!" Sonic grumbled. He noticed my expression, then quickly said apologetically, "Aw, don't take it personal bud. Come over here, I want to talk to you about something."

I followed as we walked around Amy's house. After a brief silence, he spoke, "Shadow told me about you wanting to learn Chaos Control..." he paused, trying to figure out how to continue.

"...Sonic?" I questioned after he was quiet for about two minutes, "What's wrong?"

"Just worried. I mean, I glad you're interested, but it's just a little surprising I guess. Why are you interested?" he asked me.

"...for her...for Cosmo...and you guys too." I felt the sting of tears again.

"Man, she meant alot, didn't she? About a year ago, I would have **_never_** imagined what you've become now." Sonic stated, putting friendly arm around my shoulder just like a big brother.

"She kept me going when we fought the Metarex. If not for her, I don't know if I could have kept command..." I answered, now openly crying, but still talking, "Sonic...I miss her...I can't stand this."

I cried for a few minutes, Sonic remained silent, with his head looking away, out of respect I guess.

"Come on Tails, Amy has dinner made for you. She figured you never ate today, so I'm going to make sure you eat every bite. Either that or Amy will...so you choose." Sonic said jokingly. I smiled and laughed, I was glad could still crack a joke even at sad times like these. Sonic then headed for the front door.

"I'll be there in a minute." I called back to Sonic. He nodded and went inside.

I felt a breeze blow through the air, a warm one. A flowerry scent hung on the air...it was a familiar one. I noticed the roses around Amy's small garden.

They looked just like her roses...but hers were much more beautiful The smell brought the image of her to me, her smiling face, her blue, sparkling eyes, her beautiful, green hair.

I looked up to the night sky, the stars were shining brightly. A shooting star streaked through the sky, and then I thought about that fateful night that she landed on this planet. She was like a shooting star that night I met her, and I know that one I just saw was from her. She did that for me.

"Thanks Cosmo..." I said to the heavens, and was given a response with another warm, heavenly breeze. I then went inside.

Amy made a delicious soup dinner, but neverthesless I still found sleep difficult to come by that night even with a full stomach. The couch was comfortable, the room living room was warm, but something was bugging me.

Suddenly, I felt a tapping on my shoulder. I rolled over to see a dark figure standing at the side of the couch.

"Sh-Shadow?" I mumbled.

"Here, hold this while you sleep tonight...it should help." he spoke, and dropped a bright, white object on my lap. The white Chaos emerald, the one Cosmo and I found on one of our adventures in search of the Chaos emeralds,"You need to get in closer contact with Chaos energy, so I figured that would help." he explained, and without another word, pulled out the green Chaos emerald and disspeared with the words, "Chaos control."

I yawned and held the emerald, it was surprisingly warm. Sleep came soon, and along with that followed dream...but a strange one, one that felt real.

I was standing in a white void, and gasped when I saw a familiar face looking at me.

"C-Cosmo?" I stuttered.

Well, that wraps up chapter 2. Hope you liked it! I'll probably update soon, I had alot of the story written out before hand, so chapter three will be here soon!


	3. Chapter 3

There she was, standing before me...Cosmo, just as she appeared when I saw her for the last time.

"Hello Tails, glad to see you're well..."Cosmo said with a smile, a pained smile.

"I wish I **_could _**believe that. I've been miserable without you Cosmo." I replied, also trying to smile. I felt a surge of joy, shock, and sorrow overwhelming me. Was this real?

She was holding my hands now, and I could see tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Cosmo, what's the matter?" I asked with a worried look replacing my smile.

"I've been feeling the same Tails, but I'm worried about you. I know what you tried to do a few days ago." she answered with her bottom lip trembling, and a very strained effort to hold back her tears.

My eyes grew wide, and I my face turned to a look of shock. I knew what she was talking about.

Less than a week ago...

I was standing by a ledge overlooking the ocean. The sun was rising, but I didn't care. I felt so hollow, and the otherwise beautiful scence only mocked the tormenting feelings I was having.

"Why Cosmo? Why? Why can't I be with you?" I sighed.

I left a note at home on my bed that explained my intentions of what I was going to do. My whole body felt drained, and life seemed to hold nothing else in store for me.

I spent the day before in probably the worst depression I had since she died, and I had cried, which was becoming common for me. Today though, I was too exhausted and depressed to cry.

I glared at the sun, at it's beauty. I couldn't stand the lie I was living. I tried to deny my pain at first after Cosmo died, but eventually I snapped.

I looked down, the pointed rocks below and crashing waves beckoning me.

"If the rocks don't do the job, then drowning will..." I spoke to myself.

I spread my arms about, and felt a wind blowing against me, as though trying to stop me. Still, I tipped myself forward and closed my eyes...and felt something holding onto my tails.

I turned to see Sonic, a scared and confused look on his face. He was holding my tails with a death grip, and breathing heavily.

"I see you found my note I left behind...Sonic, please just let me go. I want to end this pain." I spoke with a cracking voice, to tired to really fight back.

Sonic stared at me, then practically yelled, "What were you thinking!" How do you think Cosmo would feel if she knew the person she gave her life for, because she **_loved_** them, went and killed themself?"

"Let me go..." I pleaded, making one last effort to get free, then gave up.

"No way, you know I can't do that." Sonic said, shaking his head. His arms trembled, and I could tell he was terrified of what he almost witnessed.

I lowered my head, ashamed. Sonic was right, Cosmo would have been devastated.

I never spoke of what happened that day to anyone.

I stared at Cosmo, speechless. She began crying.

"Cosmo...I'm sorry..." I apologized.

Cosmo now wrapped her arms around, sobbing, "Tails, you know it's just as hard not having you around me either! I'm lucky enough that I can watch you from time to time! In a sense, I've lost you too...but when I saw you on that cliff...I-I-..."she broke off, her tears wetting my fur.

"Well, then you know how alone it feels even in a universe as vast as this when a loved one dies..." I replied, holding her close.

"I know Tails, but don't ever think that you're alone. I'm with you, always watching over you. I'm a part of you, and you're a part of me too. Even death can't change that." Cosmo spoke in comforting, but still saddened tone.

I tried to smile again, but couldn't. In the world I lived in, I couldn't be with my flower, not truly.

"Cosmo, I'm going to find a way for us to be together. Somehow, I promise you, and this time my promise won't be broken. I refuse to break it." I said suddenly, still holding her close.

"But...how? I'm...de-"

I cut her off, "I know, but you're so close to me that I feel you **_are _**alive...you shouldn't have died like that. We were supposed to grow old together first..."

"...Tails, I..." Cosmo paused in mid-sentence. She was contemplating on what I said, I knew it.

"Yes, Cosmo?" I inched my face closer to hers.

"I will wait until that day then, when we're together again...be it soon, or an eternity from now. I will wait for you." she finally said with a loving smile.

I smiled back, and did something that caught her off guard. I embraced her in a kiss, my eyes closed as I held her close as possible. She at first was surprised, then held me close as she returned the kiss to me. I felt my mind spinning, it felt like years were passing by...

I opened my eyes, only to see Amy's living room ceiling. I still felt wet tears in my eyes. Then I felt my shoulders, and my heart nearly skipped a beat...I could feel the moisture of Cosmo's tears still clinging on my fur. Then I looked to see the white Chaos emerald gripped tightly in my hand. I was really confused right now, but I knew one thing for certain.

"That was more than a dream." I spoke to myself.

End of chapter 3. Thanks for the reviews everyone, chapter 4 will be up soon.


	4. Chapter 4

I heard the bustling of Sonic shortly after I woke up. He came down stairs from Amy's room, and looked at me.

"Hey, Tails, why don't you come with me and Amy for a morning jog?" Sonic offered, tilting his head with a grin.

"Okay, but I think I'll only slow you down." I said with a shrug.

"Naw, I'll go slower. Besides, you'll keep Amy company while I'm ahead." Sonic laughed.

I got my shoes on and took a drink of water. Then I checked on Cosmo's plant, and gave it some water as well. I smiled, and admired it's delicate figure. I didn't know what would bloom from this plant, but I was sure it would be beautiful. I then went outside to see Sonic waiting for us. Amy was already outside, she wore a red and pink running outfit with her usual boots. Sonic as always had his signature shoes on.

"Are you ready yet?" Sonic asked us both, growing impatient.

"Just let me stretch quick!" Amy snapped, flexing her calfs. I decided to do likewise, a pulled muscle was never a pleasant experience.

After about a minute or two, we began to head down the road, a light, brisk jog. Well, to Sonic, jogging meant a full out sprint of any average living animal, so me and Amy still had trouble keeping up. However, I noticed Amy was alot better at keeping pace than in the past. Those years of constantly chasing Sonic finally paid off.

"Think you can outrun me Tails?" Amy challenged. I grinned and nodded.

"You asked for it!" I replied, and we began to sprint. It didn't surprise me that Amy was ahead, and I also noticed Sonic increase his speed. Amy laughed happily, I knew she only meant to be fun, but I felt irritated a little at being behind so far back. Usually I only ran until I reached a speed that I would use my tails to propel me a little of the ground, kind of like a hovering sprint, if that's a way of putting it. Today though, I felt an urge to use only my legs.

"Come on Tails, is that the best you got?" Amy called to me, "Can't you go any faster?"

"Just watch me!" I went faster yet, and began to pass Amy. Even more surprising, I was gaining on Sonic...a feat in itself for me.

"Not bad Tails, but I'm not going to lose in **_running_**!" Sonic smirked, then he picked up speed. I could see ebbs of wind flying around him, and a slight blue streak trail behind him.

I was beginning to breath heavily, but I refused to give up, and continued to use my legs. Seeing Sonic only a few seconds behind me was scaring me. Was it possible for me to go this fast?

I then heard the labored breathing of Amy, who still managed to also remain close, "How are you doing that Tails?"

Sonic was now at a moderately close speed of his usual running pace, but I knew he could have easily lapped us ten times over. His legs were now becoming a rotating blur of blue and red, while that familiar streak became more evident. Okay, me keeping up with him was impossible now, but I had to admire Sonic's reason for doing this; to push me to my limits.

Sonic must have thought he had an easy lead on me, but when he turned around to see me not as far behind as expected, he gave me a shocked look, "No way!" he commented. I also went faster, my feet feeling like they were sprinting over the air, but I could see them remaining on the ground. They were getting sore, and I groaned in pain.

"That's it Tails, keep going!" Sonic cheered. Obviously he was happy to see me going this fast. I felt like collapsing, but told myself to keep moving; what wouldn't kill me would only make me stronger.

Then I tripped.

I skidded for about thirty feet, bounced a few, then rolled to a stop. A cloud of dust surrounded me, and I could see blood and open cuts all over me.

"Tails! Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I heard Amy call over to me, running to where I was. Sonic screeched to a stop, then ran back to where I lay.

"Here, let me help you up bud," Sonic said, giving me a hand, " Wow, you sure took a beating there."

My knees hurt, but I could still walk. I felt like Amy had hit me with her PikoPiko Hammer with full force, "That hurt..." I groaned. I could see blood on my fur, and I began to feel dizzy.

"Tails...we should get you back to the house, you don't look too good. We'll get you cleaned up when we get there." Amy said in a worried tone, like a mother to her son who scraped his knees while biking.

"I...I...I'm fine...really..." I said with a woozy feeling. I must have been going pretty fast to feel this bad. Then again, the bumpy road didn't help any.

"No way, we're getting you back home." Sonic said, then hoisted me on his shoulders. I felt myself slip off into a dazed sleep as the landscape passed by.

-

I quickly ran, holding Tails over my shoulders and having Amy hold my hand as we ran. I tried to not go too fast so Amy could keep up with me.

In the past month or so, I'd given up on trying to avoid Amy. I think it finally struck me how lucky of a guy I was to have a girl love me for who I was and not because of the mild fame I had unknowingly attained for fighting evil. The fact that she cared for me, regardless of the obstacles she had to overcome was also enough to convince me that she was right for me.

"Sonic, I think Tails is sleeping. He looks okay." Amy said, probably trying ot reassure herself more than me.

Amy let me move in with her, and I immediately came to refer to it as my home. My room was right across from hers. Amy thought taking things slow would work best for us, and I for once agreed about taking anything slow. The main thing that worried me when I first started to have a relationship with her was what reactions I would recieve, mainly from Tails. He looked up to me like I was his older brother, but with me having Amy in my life now, I was worried he would feel lonely than he was before, living alone in the Mystic Ruins in his workshop. The Metarex ordeal also probably contributed to any loneliness he may have.

So far though, everyone, even Shadow to an extent, was happy for Amy and me. This was good, I continued to live with her, and I don't recall ever being so happy. I hoped to share a future with her someday as a family, but never would openly admit this...not yet anyway. My image that I kept couldn't allow me to go **_that far _**openly. Curse my stubborness...

We arrived at Amy's place minutes later, and headed inside. Tails was banged up pretty bad, so we started to fix him up immediately. Amy washed off the blood and dirt on him while I went and got him a blanket.

Another change was Amy, she didn't cling to me anymore like a crazy school girl, but loved being with me as much as ever before. This was probably because she knew I wouldn't leave her. I was glad that things were joyful instead of chaotic for once.

When we were done treating Tails, I sat down and thought. Amy noticed this and sat down next to me, putting her head on my shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked quietly to avoid waking Tails.

"About Tails. You noticed how much he's changed, havent' you?" I asked her, knowing she was already aware of Tails and his change of character.

"Yeah, I do. Can you blame him though?" she asked.

I shook my head, she was right. He endured more pain than anyone should at his age. He fought a war in space, commanded a gigantic starship even under the worse situations, and was forced to kill the girl he loved. It had shattered him, and made him age at least ten years. He lost that bounce in his step, and that glimmer in his eyes that he always had before.

"Poor guy...I wish Shadow and I could've brought more than a seed back with the power of the Chaos emeralds...I swore I felt her presence in space after the battle ended." I sighed looking at my long time friend. He was strong in a different way, he had guts and courage when needed. I had speed and luck, less than what Tails had.

What probably scared me about Tails was how he had tried to cope with the loss of Cosmo, and indeed we almost lost Tails a short time ago. I was going to see how Tails was that morning when I noticed his door was unlocked. I went through his house and eventually stumbled on a paper that even a complete idiot could understand was a suicide note. I stopped him from diving off a cliff, and told him how do such a thing would have been the worst possible insult to Cosmo's memory, and to his friends. We were all worried about him, but I never imagined he would try such a thing. He had felt ashamed, knowing that had I not arrived, he would have done it.

"Sonic, did you ever tell him that I know about the cliff incident with you and him a few days ago?" Amy asked with a concerned look.

"No, If I did, Tails would only feel worse." I replied. Though I said to Tails that I would tell no one about it, it was wrong not to. I told Amy that very day after spending a long time with Tails, until I knew he was feeling better. She nearly burst to tears when she heard it.

Amy stroked my quills, and sighed with both contentment and worry. I was glad to have her, she made me feel at peace when things got bad.

"I still can't believe Tails picked up so much speed, thought he was going to catch you for a moment." Amy spoke, wrapping her arms around me.

"Yeah, I think he almost had an orange streak traling behind him. I never imagined he'd reach such a speed, then again, he's been full of surprises since I met him.

Tails began to stir. Amy got up, and seemed as though by feminine instinct or whatever, to begin petting his bangs and fur on his head. He smiled before opening his eyes. When he saw Amy holding his head on her lap, he turned red, then asked, "Amy? What happened?"

He tried to get up, but Amy held him down like a nurse with a patient,"Shhh...you were running about as fast as Sonic when we were jogging when you tripped." Amy responded in a motherly tone. I almost laughed, it was kind of funny seeing her nuturing Tails.

"Oh yeaaah...huh, looks like I hit my head harder than I thought..." Tails mumbled. Amy and I laughed.

"You need to rest. I'll get lunch ready." Amy spoke, and ended it leaving no room for any objections.

Tails lay on the couch, then his eyes grew wide, as though he just remembered something important.

"The emerald, oh no...Sonic did you see the whi-"

"Relax, it's upstairs in my room. Shadow told me last night that he would be stopping by. He seems to have some respect for you Tails, so make sure you don't mess up. Heh heh." I joked, and then ran upstairs and returned with the Chaos emerald. He held it and he immediately calmed down, feeling it's energy.

"I wonder why Shadow chose the white Chaos emerald to give me...I always thought of myself as a yellow or light blue." Tails pondered.

I shrugged,"Shadow can sense things we can't, he sees that you somehow relate best to that one. He says it's due to alot of factors we wouldn't understand. He prefers the green one for example, and I seem to coincidentally relate best to the dark blue one. It's weird, I know, but he knows what he's doing." I explained, seeing Tails' confused look.

No sooner did I finish speaking when a green flash immersed the room. I turned and saw a black and red hedgehog standing before us.

"Shadow, hey how's it going?" I asked.

Shadow shrugged with a curt grunt. He was better with me now, but we still spoke little to each other. Better than a fist fight at least. At the moment though, Shadow seemed more concerned about Tails. He looked at Tails, then smirked a little.

"What happened to you?" Shadow asked with a mildly amused tone.

"I tried to keep up with Sonic, that's what. Fastest I've ever gone, but...I tripped." Tails answered sheepishly. I saw Shadow laugh quietly. Then he turned to me.

"Thanks Sonic, he needed the exercise." Shadow said in a polite tone, with a quick nod.

"No problem. If you ever need me to help with that stuff, feel free to ask me." I said with a thumbs up.

Suddenly I heard a sound of shattering glass, followed by a series of curses from Amy in the kitchen. I also heard water boiling.

"Umm...I think I'll go help Amy with making lunch..." I said and ran to the kitchen. I heard Tails call "good luck" as I left them.

-

I turned to Tails again, who was staring into the Chaos emerald. He looked like something was bothering him.

"What's the matter?" I asked him.

Tails looked up and sighed,"I'm just trying to figure out how I ran so fast."

"Well, it seems you've gotten faster from your own natural strength. If you're thinking it was the Chaos emerald though, you're wrong. My guess is that you just never tried that hard to run that fast." I said, reassuringly to him.

"Really?" he asked, a surprised look on his face.

"Believe me, I don't lie." I answered, nodding.

Then Tails threw me for a total loop and asked me the most random question, " Shadow...do you believe in the afterlife?"

"What?" I asked, caught off guard by his sudden inquiry.

"The afterlife...do you think it exists?" Tails asked me.

This was a delicate subject with me, mainly because with my past, and the fact that I never aged in all those years, I sometimes found myself wondering what was in store for me, should I ever die. Pondering on this subject only happened now and again though.

"Maybe, we really can't say though. I truthfully don't think a whole lot about such things Tails." I replied.

Tails was now rotating the white emerald between his hands. I could tell he wanted to say more.

"Tails, what is it?" I asked him. He looked up, trying to prepare himself to talk.

end of Chapter 4...yeah this was a longer one. Hope you enjoyed it. Chap 5 is in progress, may be some time from now, but don't worry, I'll update ASAP.


	5. Chapter 5

Tails sat where he was, didn't make a sound. As patient as I was, he was bothering me with his silence.

"Tails, what are you acting all weird about?" I asked, this time he replied.

"Well, last night...I don't know what it was but, I spoke to Cosmo. We were standing in some white void, face to face, talking to each other." he answered, looking nervous.

This got me interested, if what he said was true, then he may have more in him than I had suspected. I nodded for him to continue. he gave me a very descriptive explanation of what happened, down to the detail of his wet fur on his shoulders from Cosmo's crying. That seemed a bit too vivid for a dream, but still...

"So you think it was a breach in between two worlds, is that what you're saying?" I asked, a little worried now. Messing with time and space is very dangerous business. Tails was intelligent enough to know that, and probably could think of the possible consequences as well.

"Um, yeah...I guess so. Kind of like the world of the living and the world where the spirits of those who were once alive collided...but it was only me and her." Tails replied, now feeling a bit foolish perhaps.

I had ideas going through my mind now; surely he couldn't have used Chaos control...the emerald **_was _**with him, but how?

"Don't go jumping to conclusions Tails, it could have been only a dream. That moisture on your fur could very well be the tears you cried." I pointed out, trying to figure out this enigma. Tails' ears drooped when he heard this," Tails, don't get all downcast about it. I'm only saying that it could have only been a dream. I'm sure if you did make contact with Cosmo, then perhaps it was the emerald...who knows, maybe there is an afterlife."

Tails smiled again and nodded, "Right, there might be. I just wonder if it's possible to see her again."

I thought it would be best to change the subject, "I decided that we should begin your training tomorrow. Now it won't be easy, and when we really start getting into it, there may be some emotional and physical pain...well, I can guarantee the physical pain at least...you sure you can handle that?" I asked the young fox kit. He nodded with a determined look, "That's what I thought. Okay, until tomorrow then, Tails." and with that I transported myself out of the house with the green emerald.

The images of trees and buildings sped by, and time seemed to halt as I traveled. It seemed to be like minutes passed, but in reality, it was only seconds at the most. This experience was normal for me, using Chaos control was second nature to me.

I reappeared in front of a riverbed leading from a clear waterfall. Nearby was the stone alter where the Master emerald was placed, glowing peacefully, it's power radiating the area. Knuckles was somewhere nearby, he had to be...

I then heard a gruff voice speak somewhere to the left of me, further down river,"You really think that?" it said.

A feminine voice replied to the question, "Well ofcourse Knucky, I always have." I heard it say.

Not far from me sat Knuckles and Rouge by the river's edge. They were holding hands, and completely unaware of my presence only a few feet behind them.

"Ahem," I said, clearing my throat. They both turned to me. Knuckles looked fairly surprised, with a bit of embarassment and anger maybe. Rouge, on the other hand, was fairly happy to see me.

"Hey Shadow, what are you doing here?" Rouge asked with a smile.

"Well, I do live here now as of recently." I answered. Knuckles had, with some pressure from Rouge, offered me to live on Angel Island. I agreed to, under the condition that I wouldn't steal the Master emerald. Like I would have any use for it.

"What do you want Shadow?" Knuckles asked in a more agressive tone than he intended. Rouge smacked him on the back of the head, and he grumbled an apology.

"It's Tails...he's been experiencing weird...happenings." I answered.

"Happenings?" Rouge repeated with interest.

I explained about the 'encounter' that Tails had with Cosmo. Knuckles merely nodded, but Rouge seemed a bit confused.

"Wait, Cosmo's dead. What happened, did he have a near-death experience and see her, or what?" Rouge asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"No, I think it has to do with the Chaos emerald he held that night, and perhaps that he has a strong connection to her." I answered. Truthfully, I never imagined that the emerald would do little more than help the fox sleep that night, maybe make him feel rivitalized. This was much more than expected. I turned to Knuckles,"Knuckles, I want you to come with me to Amy's house tomorrow morning. Bring the Chaos emeralds that you and Rouge are keeping safe, okay?" I said, and Knuckles understood perfectly.

"Sure thing...anything else?" he asked me.

"Yeah, bring your strength too. I'm going to attempt it tomorrow with Sonic, Tails, you, and myself." I responded, twirling the green emerald in my hand. Rouge's face lit up with excitement.

"You're all going to attempt Chaos control?" she asked, turning to Knuckles, "Knuckles, are you seriously going to try it?" she seemed like she was like a kid who just remembered it was their birthday. She wrapped her arms around him, and said in a teasing voice,"Awww, my big, strong echina's going to learn Chaos control." and Knuckles' face grew red with embarassment again. He tried with little sucess to remain untouched by her behavior. She took his stubborness as a compliment and jumped into his arms, nuzzling his chin.

"R-Rouge, please!" Knuckles stuttered, but didn't seem to really fight back,"Okay Shadow, I'll be ready at sunrise." Knuckles added.

"Sounds good then." I spoke with a nod.

"Hey, Rouge, you wouldn't mind watching the Master emerald while I'm gone, would you?" Knuckles asked her. She was silent with a confused, yet surprised look on her face.

"Are...you serious? You trust me with your responsibility?" she questioned finally. She seemed touched by this.

"Yep," Knuckles answered, "Sure am."

"I'd be happy to help you Knucky." she smiled, gripping Knuckles tighter around the shoulders.

The two remained like this for some time, I saw it as my cue to leave. I ran off to the forest on the island so I could rest and plan for tomorrow. If all went smoothly, both Knuckles and Tails would have new power under their belts, and Sonic and I wouldn't be the only forces to reckon with in serious matters anymore.

end of Chap. 5...you can only wonder what Shadow means by that, can't you? The action will begin soon enough, just be patient...


	6. Chapter 6

I still couldn't believe that Knuckles wanted **_me _**to watch the Master emerald. It was a bit of a surprise to hear the headstrong guardian ask me.

"Knuckles...back to what we were talking about before, I really think we should start thinking about our future together." I spoke after a few minutes of quiet. He stared at the stream while looked at him. He shifted uncomfortably, he tried to avoid the subject.

"Rouge, you know I...care about you, but I was given a responsibility by my ancestors that I can't put off. I only wish I-"

"Then let me help share that responsiblity with you," I said, cutting him off from speaking, "Knuckles, I want to be with you...you're the closest I've ever had to a real family or loved one. At least let me help protect the emerald with you." Knuckles was struck with astonishment, and I could tell he never heard anyone ever say anything like that to him. His lived a lonely life, so anything close to affection was uncommon for him.

Knuckles was now desperately trying to hold back the evident tears in the corners of his eyes. He was looking down when he spoke," I'm sorry for you seeing me like this..." he whispered in a shameful tone," What is it that you could possibly see in me over anyone else?"

I turned his head so he was facing me straight in the eyes,"There's nothing wrong with showing your emotions Knuckles. I care for you because I know under all that rough exterior lies an echidna with a heart of gold and a kind spirit. That's what I see in you Knuckles."

He put his head on my shoulder and, for what I believe was the first time ever since I met him, he cried openly,"Rouge, please don't tell anyone about me like this."

"Don't worry Knuckles, I won't tell anyone. I promise..." I said whole heartedly.

"Thanks Rouge, you're the nicest girl I've ever known...and I wouldn't mind having you live here..." after a minute passed by, he spoke again, "Hey Rouge?"

"Yes Knuckles?"

"Don't ever leave me again...okay?" he finished, a smile on his face.

"...I promise." I replied. We both sat there watching the sun reflect its light on the stream. Though he didn't say it directly, Knuckles had finally admitted that he loved me back.

-

Despite my protests, Amy wouldn't let me go with Sonic on his 'daily patrol' of the downtown area.

"You're in no condition to go fight crime, let alone run alongside Sonic!" Amy chided, changing the channel to a soap opera. I groaned with annoyance.

"Could I at least go outside and walk around the house. I need some fresh air." I pleaded, not willing to find out who was having an affair on who on television.

"Sure, I'll come with. I want to talk to you about something anyway." Amy said.

We walked around the Amy's lawn; I had a feeling I was in for another one of those 'talks' that I had been getting from Sonic and my other friends. It was about two or so when she decided to talk,"Tails...how do you feel about me being with Sonic? Be honest."

Honest? Well, obviously I was happy for them. However, I think Amy had a deeper meaning to the question.

"I'm happy for the both of you. I think it's great that you and Sonic are finally together." I responded with a truthful tone.

Amy smiled, a bit relieved,"Anything else?" she asked. I laughed, she was acting like she was a parent explaining to a teenager what it's like to be an adult.

"Personally, I think you two have a bright future together. I'd like to see how your kids turn out." I laughed.

"Tails!" Amy said with a red blush on her face.

"Oh come on Amy, I know you think about it all the time!" I joked, laughing even harder.

Amy shrugged, then she looked at me, "You know Tails, I have to give you alot of thanks for getting me and Sonic together."

"How so?" I questioned.

"Well, back when Eggman sent us to Chris' world, you were with me in the beginning. You helped me get to Sonic. Then there's the fact that you give us your support on us being together. You may not realize it, but Sonic really values your word Tails," Amy explained,"You mean alot to Sonic and me, both as a friend and family. You know that right?"

"You consider me...family?" I asked her with a smile. She nodded and then looked to the ground, her face changed to a worried look,"Tails, are you scared at all?"

"Scared of what?" I asked, not sure what she was asking me about.

"Scared about using the emeralds. You're so much younger than Sonic, but you are going to try and use Chaos control. It's got me worried." she clarified.

"Amy, I don't want you worrying about me. You should be worrying about Sonic, because soon he'll have me, Knuckles, and Shadow to compete with." I joked.

Amy shook her head, a look of satisfaction and joy on her face, "Tails, you really have grown up."

"What do you mean Amy?" I asked her, confused by her compliment, at least I think it was a compliment.

"Well, you're about half the age of Sonic, yet you seem to have no fear. You've truly become more mature." she explained in a serious yet generous tone.

"Aw, I'm not all that great." I chuckled, clearly flattered by her praise. It was a sudden change for her to be this nice to me.

She looked down and began tapping the toe of one of her boots on the ground. She had a thoughtful look showing on her face,"So you really think Sonic and I **_will_** have a family someday?"

I laughed with renewed vigor, "Definitely! I can see a little Amy running around the house at the speed of sound while Sonic's freaking out."

Amy laughed as well, "That's sweet of you Tails...say, you want to go shopping with Cream and me in a little while? She originally was going to fly here than we'd go from there...but ..."

"But Amy, you didn't even let me go with Sonic downtown. Why would it be-"

"Great! We can go to the mall in the X Tornado to save time!" Amy said cutting me off from arguement. She ran inside giggling with excitement, probably going to call Cream to tell her the change of plans. Yeah, shopping...great.

So we all went to the mall, and little to my surprise, I was carrying about ten shopping bags towards the end.

"Tails, do you want us to get you anything?" Cream asked.

"No thanks...I'm quite fine, just give me a minute to catch my balance. Geez, Cream, what did you and Amy buy, lead weights?" I questioned, straining to keep up with them while balancing the numerous shopping bags.

"Hmmm...well I got about four skirts, some shoes...um a new hair styling kit, a new tie for Cheese...Amy got seven outfits, three pairs of boots, make-up, hammer polish, a new-"

"Okay, okay! Let's hope this all fits into the X Tornado's cargo hold." I interrupted.

We got back to Amy's house around mid afternoon. Apparantly Cream was spending the night at Amy's, then my instincts kicked in...they were planning something. Where's Sonic when I need him?

"Tails, come here for a second." Amy called to me with glee. She and Cream were bouncing on the couch, Cheese was partaking in the action as well...yep, something was definitely up.

"What?" I asked, ready to bolt in a second's notice. If there's one thing Sonic taught me, it was that when Amy was scanning you up and down after shopping, be prepared to run at neck-break speed.

"Well, Cream and I saw a sale at a men's clothing store on these hot shirts and shorts. Now ofcourse I'd have Sonic try them on, but he's not here so do you mind- Cream, stop him! He's heading for the door!" Amy yelled, and I found myself pinned to the floor. I would have easily pushed Cream away, but after seeing Amy's Piko Piko Hammer behind Cream in it owner's deadly hands, I thought a little dress up was probably my safest option.

So I tried on about two dozen outfits (not kidding), and then Amy decided to film it...Sonic owed me **_big time_**.

"Tails, you ever consider being a model for magazines? You've got the face and a pretty decent physique." Amy inquired. I was about to say I'd rather willingly hand over the Chaos emeralds to Eggman and wish him good luck when suddenly Sonic walked in. He looked at me, turned to the pile of clothing, turned to Amy and Cream, back to me, turned around to the door...and got caught around the legs by Amy.

"Sonic, just in time! I was worried you would miss trying on the new clothes I bought you and Tails!" she spoke while dragging him into the room.

"Actually...I just thought I heard a cry for help...um I'd better go and-"

"**_I SAID I WAS WORRIED THAT YOU WOULD MISS TRYING ON THE NEW CLOTHES I BOUGHT YOU AND TAILS!_**" she said, with aggression building through a smile of gritted teeth.

"Um...I guess it can wait." Sonic said with defeat.

"Good! Okay, get those khaki jeans on and the collared T-shirt as well." Amy said with a giggle.

end of chap. 6


	7. Chapter 7

I slept upstairs in Sonic's room that night while Amy and Cream slept in the living room where until last night I had slept. Their laughter could be heard from downstairs the whole night. Laughing at what, I'm not sure, but it got a little annoying. Luckily I had the Chaos emerald, so sleep came almost instantly when I finally decided to hit the sack.

The next morning I awoke to see Sonic was gone, probably on an early morning run. I crept down the stairs to avoid waking Amy or Cream, who were still asleep. It was close to seven o' clock. How did I manage to wake up so early?

I decided to make breakfast this morning. I made a dozen choclate chip pancakes and took three for myself. After loading them with syrup, I ate. Amy and Cream woke up shortly after I began eating, and served themselves as well. Cream gave Cheese some fruit which he took happily, exclaiming "Chao!"

"These are amazing pancakes Tails! How are you so good at making these?" Cream said, referring to the breakfast.

"Well, when you live alone you tend to find improving your cooking necessary if you want to eat good meals." I replied, scratching my head with a flattered smile.

Sonic soon arrived, and shoved the pancakes into his mouth, clearly he liked them. It was going onto eight when we heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Sonic said and quickly ran to the door,"Hey, Vector, Espio, Charmy! How are you guys doing? It's been a while."

We all headed into the living room to greet the three members of the Chaotix Detective Agency. I had to admit it was a real surprise to see them here at this time in the day.

"Hey you guys, nice to see you all again. Shadow asked us to stop by and drop this off at your house." Vector said. He then pulled out from a box they were carrying the light blue Chaos emerald.

"Thanks Vector." Sonic said taking the emerald.

"No problem. So, Tails wants to learn how to use the emeralds, huh?" Vector asked turning to me.

"Yep! I personally think he's capable of doing it if he's determined enough." Sonic answered, turning to me with a grin.

"It should be interesting to see your transformation if it goes well, Tails." Espio added.

"Hey, can we stay and watch?" Charmy asked.

"Sure, why not? Shadow and Knuckles should be here any moment now. This many Chaos emeralds in one area is bound to get Shadow's attention." answered Sonic.

So we all sat down in the living room and got caught up with each other. Nothing much was new. I got cleaned up and showered, as did Amy, Cream, and Sonic afterwards.

Eight thirty eventually came when an abrupt flash of green light lit up the room. Shadow and Knuckles stood in the middle of the room with what appeared to be more emeralds.

"Ready?" Shadow asked us before we could say anything.

"Just a second, I'll get my emerald along with Amy's," Sonic said, then quickly zipped up the stairs to his room, then into Amy's, "Amy, where's the emerald?"

"On the shelf next to my scrapbook!" Amy called back.

"The one with my name on it with blue marker on the cover?"

"No, no, the one with your picture on the cover surrounded by hearts!"

"Oh! I got it!" Sonic called back then zipped downstairs.

"A scrapbook...?" Shadow questioned raising an eyebrow. Amy shrugged her shoulders and blushed a little.

We all went onto the front lawn. Knuckles brought the red and purple Chaos emeralds and lay them down on the ground a few feet apart from each other. Sonic took the yellow, light blue, and dark blue and spread them apart from each other within equal distance. Shadow set his green emerald down as well.

"Well, what are you waiting for Tails? Set yours down." Vector urged.

I turned to Shadow and Sonic. Shadow nodded and Sonic gave me a thumbs up, so I felt that it was okay. I set mine down, completing the wide circle. A glow emitted from them. I could feel the energy pulsing from seven stones.

"Okay, Tails...concentrate on that energy. Let that energy surge through your veins and mind...that's the feeling of Chaos control." Shadow said.

"Step into the circle's center bud." Sonic added, and I did as told. I put all my thoughts on that energy pulsing through the air. The emeralds began to lift off the ground.

"That's it Tails, harness that power..." Shadow said while the others watched.

The emeralds began to circle around me, I could feel my own strength increase. I was seriously doing it, **_I_** was moving the emeralds. Not Shadow, not Sonic, but **_me_**!

"That's it Tails!" I heard Sonic cheer over the chiming of the emeralds.

The emeralds were spinning faster and faster until a blur of colors surrounded me. I was lifted off the ground by what must have been the emeralds, then the emeralds stopped abruptly in mid air. In a bright and dazzling flash, they were absorbed into my body. However, I still didn't feel any truly initial changes. I looked at Shadow and Sonic, who exchanged unsurprised looks. Knuckles seemed distressed however.

"What happened? Why didn't-"

"Shh!" Sonic interrupted Knuckles. He continued to watch, tapping his feet.

Then it happened. The ground around me began to shake, but I remained in the air.

"I thought something like this would happen. Tails has much younger and volatile forces in him; just give the emeralds time!" Shadow yelled to everyone over the shaking of the miniature earthquake. I suddenly felt a jolt of power course through my muscles. The earthquake stopped.

As though by instinct, I spread out my arms and legs. Then a light burst from me. It was unnaturally bright.

"Yes, he did it!" I heard Knuckles yell enthusiastically.

"Tails, you acheived Chaos control...or should I say, Super Tails..." Sonic replied, a huge smile on his face.

I looked at my fur. It was yellow, almost on the virge of being white.

"Tails, look at yourself!" Amy said, and handed me a small pocket mirror. I took a look into it to see two crimson eyes staring at me.

"Not bad at all for a first timer..." Shadow commented, "Not bad at all."

"I did it Cosmo...I finally did it..." I whispered to myself, but I knew Cosmo was watching me right now though, and she was happy for me.

end of chap. 7 Well, how was it? Hope you liked it as much as I did writing it, more chapters will be on the way.


	8. Chapter 8

I looked at myself in Amy's pocket mirror, disbelief and joy clearly reflected in my eyes...I couldn't believe it.

"Tails, you look amazing!" Cream said in awe. She was being truthful; my bangs pointed upward much like Sonic's quill did when he became Super Sonic. My eyes were a deep, rich red color, and I noticed the two rings that held my gloves on where shining a silver tone.

I flexed my hands, then hovered, not with my tails, but with the sheer energy I had obtained.

I flew upward, then looked to the sky. I wanted to see what my new powers could really do. I spun my tails rapidly to increase my speed. Within seconds, I was flying in the statosphere. I looped around a few times, then plummeted back down to the planet. The air whipped at my face, but I didn't mind. I glided back down to the ground, everyone standing with various expressions on their faces.

"Tails...you just...covered over ten miles, if not more, in about ten seconds..." Espio said with a stunned look on his face.

"Really? Neat!" I exclaimed, and hovered off the ground again.

Shadow and Sonic walked over to me, again there was the presence of mystified silence,"Tails, you look like you do this on a regular basis." Sonic smirked, clearly amazed.

"Okay, let's see you use Chaos energy and attack...that boulder, about a mile or so that way." Shadow said, pointing to my left. A giant boulder sat just on the horizon, it probably weighed at least a good four to five tons.

"That one? O-okay..." I said hesitantly. I really didn't know what to do. I raised my hand and stood there, unsure what was supposed to happen. I felt embarassed after doing that little antic in the air.

"Focus your energy, grasp that power surging through your body. Imagine yourself unleashing it, then do it." Shadow told me, aware that I had no clue how to shoot Chaos energy.

I decided to brace myself in case I lost control. I pushed one foot against the dirt, and took aim at the distant boulder. I began to concentrate my energy, and soon it was charging rapidly. The energy began to rage within my body; it needed to be unleashed onto its target.

"Chaos control!" I shouted and let loose a giant ball of raw energy. It flew through the air at amazing speed, making a leveled path of smoking ash where it went.

The boulder, along with about another half a mile or so around it, exploded in a flash of light. The sky showered dirt and dust onto the ground. When the area cleared, a large crater lay where the boulder was only moments ago.

My hands trembled. Did **_I_** do that? I cleared that entire area?

"Kind of scary, eh Tails?" Sonic smiled, seeing my face.

"It was okay, not completely under control, but still decent," Shadow said with a nod,"Okay Tails, you've done enough today."

"You sure? I feel like I could run five laps around the downtown perimeter." I said, not sure why I should stop.

Shadow laughed quietly,"I'm sure you do, but even though you're full of energy right now, when you do regress back to your normal state, you will most likely be exhausted." he explained.

"Really?" I asked. It made sense; even as I stood there, I was using up Chaos energy ever so slowly.

"He's right Tails. Trust us on this one." Sonic reassured me.

"Okay, if you say so..." I said, feeling a little deflated. I closed my eyes, and felt the energy leave my body. The Chaos emeralds dropped to the ground, still glowing a little.

"We should keep them seperated in case Eggman decides to attack." Sonic suggested, picking up the yellow and dark blue emeralds.

"Sounds good then...say, shouldn't I give Chaos control a try?" Knuckles asked.

"Well, yeah, but give the emeralds some time to replenish their energy." Sonic said to Knuckles.

"How long will that take?" Knuckles asked, getting a little edgy.

"Hmmmm...oh, give them about three hours, then we'll try out Chaos control." Sonic replied.

Knuckles grumbled, but did little more than that. The others decided to sit outside and talk. I however, went inside. I **_was_** exhausted. I held the white Chaos emerald in my hand, and felt a wave of soothing energy wash over me. I fell asleep to thoughts of me streaming through the skies at the speed of light.

-

I watched Tails sleeping on the couch, and it made me happy to see him comfortable. He wasn't at peace entirely though...and neither was I.

I'm not entirely sure how I could see Tails, my only knowledge was that if I concentrated on my young fox long enough I could see him. Same went for my other friends, but Tails was my main interest.

"Cosmo, are you allright? You've been standing here for a while now."

"I'm fine Mother. I was just watching him. He mastered Chaos control." I replied with a smile.

I was happy to finally be reunited with my mother and sisters. It had been so long, and I felt complete...almost...

I cried a little. I missed Tails, and this hurt more than any form of physical torture.

"I wish I could be with him." I sobbed, hugging myself. What made me feel even worse was that he probably felt worse than I did.

"Cosmo dear, I understand your pain, but life gives us what we were meant to do. You protected him and your friends, and that's what makes the bond between you and him unbreakable." Mother replied, now holding me.

"I know, but...he's suffering...I can feel the pain he feels...he only **_acts_** happy most of the time, but he's really depressed on the inside. I wish I could help him." I sighed, tears swelling in the corners of my eyes.

Mother smiled at me kindly,"Oh Cosmo, you make me so proud. You have such a loving heart, it's no wonder Tails loved you."

"He still does." I added.

"Of course he does, and he knows you're with him know, after you saw him that night. You helped him recover a little, and he will continue to as long as you remain alive in him." my mother said.

I continued to watch Tails while he slumbered. I was so proud of him, he was probably a year or so younger than me in age, but he was the most mature and loving friend I ever met.

"Tails...I miss you so much." I said, my longing to be with him driving me to further tears.

Tails shifted on the couch while sleeping, "...me too Cosmo..."

I gasped in surprise, "M-mother...how did he-?"

"You have a deep connection with Tails, plus he's sleeping. Spirits of the desceased can often have an easier time communicating with loved ones through the subconscience mind." Mother explained.

"Should I talk to him?" I asked, feeling nervous.

"I don't see any harm in it, but he will most likely forget anything he says to you." she replied with a smile.

I felt a sudden wave of joy rush through me. Even a brief moment with Tails was worth the strain it took to stay in touch with him.

"Tails...?" I called to him.

He didn't open his eyes or move around, but he did speak, "Hey Cosmo. It's wonderful to hear your voice again."

I laughed, "You always were good at giving compliments."

Tails laughed as well, eyes still closed, "Well, it's hard to tell a lie about someone when you're really telling the truth."

I smiled at the fox, his two tails wagging on their own, an indication that he was happy.

"Tails, I saw you use Chaos control today...you looked brilliant flying around the sky like that." I said to him.

He blushed a little, and then said, "So you **_did_** see me."

"Yes I did. You're so cute with yellow fur!" I teased.

Now Tails was a deep scarlet in the face, "Thanks Cosmo."

"Tails, why did you do that? Was it really for..." I drifted out of speech, trying to think of what to say.

"Yes, it was for you Cosmo...somehow, I'm going to find a way to get us back together," he said, then added,"No matter what the costs Cosmo, I will find a way."

"...Tails..." I sighed.

Before anything further could be said, Tails awoke suddenly, and my connection was broken. I could still see him, but I wasn't able to talk to him now. He seemed to be trying to remember something, but couldn't. He shrugged and walked outside.

"He forgot." my mother stated.

"No, his spirit still remembers the words we shared. I know it." I replied.

My mother laughed softly and hugged me, "I think you're right Cosmo. He does remember...you two mean too much to each other."

I stood there, thinking about Tails' last words...'No matter what the costs Cosmo, I will find a way.' and I felt a little scared.

"What do you think he meant Mother?" I asked.

"I'm not sure Cosmo. Whatever the case though, he seems to know what he's doing. Don't worry dear." Mother replied. Then she added suddenly, "I would have loved to have him as a son-in-law."

I was taken back by this,"Mother! Did you just-?"

"Yes, I did. If you two find a way to be together, he has my approval as a husb-"

"Mother, you're embarassing me!" I blushed deeply.

"Don't be. He's a sweet boy, and I know he would make you happy." Mother said with a laugh.We were quiet for a while, then she turned to me,"Cosmo, let's go meet with your sisters. They're over in the flower fields waiting for me."

"Okay Mother." I replied.

"Let's go then." she said.

"Oh, and Mother," I called to her.

"Yes Cosmo?"

"Thank you."

She smiled again. She had said to me that I reminded her of when she was young. Of course, she said that to all my sisters. It was good to be with family...but I could never be fully content with one major piece missing in my life...Tails.

end of chap.8. On a side note, anything that seemed confusing or left unsaid _will _be explained later. Thanks for reading, more chaps on the way!


	9. Chapter 9

"Listen Cream, I'm **_not _**going to give you another airplane ride, okay? Hey, don't go and give me the pouty-eyed look, because it's not going to work...okay, okay, but this is the last one. Seven times is just too much." I sighed, shaking my head.

"Yay! Throw me really high up this time Knuckles!" Cream said, jumping up and down ecstatically.

"Okay, just settle down, will you?" I groaned. I picked up Cream and spun her around by the arms. I let go of her and she soared high into the air.

"WEEEE!" she squealed with delight, laughing on the way up. She then flapped her large ears, and then glided back down to the ground, "Thanks Knuckles!" she said with a hug, then ran over to Amy.

"Hey Sonic, what time is it!" I growled, growing impatient. How long did it take for the emeralds to recover from only about seven minutes of usage?

"Oh...about eleven twenty, give or take a few minutes...why, you getting bored?" Sonic taunted, grinning.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I am! I'm not one for the whole 'hurry up and wait routine' you know." I retorted at Sonic.

I walked over to the shade of a nearby tree. Shadow was sitting under it, sprawled out with his head resting over his arms. He opened one eye and nodded, then closed it again, "Don't worry, the emeralds will be ready for use soon enough." he said.

"Well that's good, at least someone around here is useful." I said, taking a seat on the ground next to him.

"You got to learn to control that temper of yours Knuckles...having anger in you while using Chaos control will drain you of your power alot faster than it normally would." Shadow added.

"Are you saying I have a temper" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, not to be rude, but it's...not breaking news to any of us..." he replied with a shrug.

"Hmmm...I guess you do have a point. I'll try and calm down. I just don't like waiting for three hours with next to nothing to do." I said.

Shadow got up and looked at the large crater that Tails had created earlier, "Truly amazing...he's definitely something..." he said with a thoughtful look.

I laughed a little, "What, you saying you couldn't have done that?"

"Sure I could have done it...but **_Tails_** had something in him that made him seem more...more..." he drifted off in search of the right word.

"...More powerful?" I suggested.

"I guess. At the same time though, he's still weaker than Sonic and me..." Shadow finished, then walked over the others.

"That made no sense..." I said to myself. I sat there for a while, thinking about Shadow's words. If he was saying that Tails was possibly the most powerful fighter on the planet (if you could even **_call_** him a fighter), then it could mean some big changes for Sonic and Shadow in protecting the planet.

"Hey Knux, you ready?" I heard Sonic call to me.

"It's about time!" I answered, and walked over to where the group was standing.

All the emeralds lay in a circle as before, they were pulsing with renewed vitality. I sensed their power, and stepped into the center of the circle they formed.

"It's on you Knuckles, whenever you're ready." Sonic said with a nod.

I nodded in reply, and began to take in the power of the emeralds. I noticed the emeralds lift off the ground; they did so faster than they had done with Tails. Probably because I had more experience around the emeralds than Tails did. They began to spin around me, and I soon felt a wind pick up.

"You have it Knuckles, just continue what you're doing." I heard Shadow say.

The emeralds halted in the air suddenly. In a bright flash, they entered my body, and a rush of massive energy went through me. The ground began to crack and crumble around me. I lifted off the ground, and another bright flash burst from my body. A powerful wave of energy knocked over the others, except for Sonic, Shadow, and Vector who managed to stay on their own two feet.

"Allright Knuckles!" I heard Vector yell. I must have closed my eyes from the light, because I only saw black. I opened them, and saw the others getting up, staring in awe.

I looked into the reflection of one of Amy's windows, and nearly jumped back in surprise. A yellow-haired, ruby-eyed echidna stared back at me.

"Whoa...not bad looking if I do say so myself." I commented with a grin. I then noticed my dredlocks pointed upward near the ends. I tried to imagine Rouge's reaction if she saw me.

"Geez Knuckles, you did alot better than I had expected for the first time," Sonic grinned, "Nice hair by the way."

"Heh, well, I am the guardian of the Master emerald...would you expect less?" I responded.

I pounded my fists together, and the ground around me shook and cracked further. This power was like nothing I ever felt before. I felt...invincible. I knew I wasn't though. I was still made of flesh and blood, and death could still occur with me. I had to remind myself of that for a second.

"Okay Knuckles, show us a blast of Chaos energy." said Shadow.

"No problem." I looked up to the sky, and formed a ball of energy in my palm almost instantly,"CHAOS CONTROL!"

I threw the ball with all my might, and it soared at record-breaking speed. I clenched the fist I threw with, and the speeding ball exploded, lighting up the sky.

I looked at the others. Shadow's eyebrow twitched slightly, Tails was mouthing something while watching the lightshow, Sonic gulped nervously, and the others stared at my in astonishment. I thought I heard Amy say something like '...well Sonic could easily do better...' but I didn't hear clearly.

"Um...okay, I guess you're a quick learner. That's good," Sonic said, scratching his head,"Now, are you fast enough?"

Without another word I zipped behind Sonic, back in front of him, then onto the roof of Amy's house in less than three seconds,"Well, what's your opinion?"

"Show off..." Sonic grumbled.

I flexed my arms, and was satisfied with the results. I never felt so powerful before; it was starting to scare me.

"The Chaos emeralds lead to the destruction of my ancestors...I vow to never abuse their power. It could end the planet's existence if any of us did." I said to Sonic, Tails, and Shadow.

"Don't worry Knux, none of us are intent on destroying the planet." Sonic reassured.

I looked at the three of them, even Shadow had an honest look; he wasn't going to go sadistic and destroy all of civilization. I only wondered if he would ever discover his past someday.

"...We should make a pact between the four of us...what do you guys say?" I asked.

Tails nodded, and Sonic and Shadow put their hands in a wrist-lock hand grip. I and Tails joined them. I channeled my power into them. The Chaos emeralds' energy soon was flowing through the four of us. I was eventually looking at Super Sonic, Super Shadow, and Super Tails.

"As protectors of the planet...no, of the galaxy, we swear to never abuse the powers of the Master emerald, or the the seven Chaos emeralds," Sonic spoke. We all formed a single ball of Chaos energy in the center of our circle, "Should this vow be broken for any non-drastic or desperate need, we will remove the abuser's right of using the emeralds," he then looked at each of us,"Agreed?"

"Agreed." we said in unison.

"Then from here on out, we will honor our pact between the four of us." Sonic finished. The ball of energy flew off into the sky, and exploded, showering all of us in specks of light.

We all went back to normal shortly after, "Whoa, since when were you a professional speaker?" I laughed, referring to Sonic's speech he made for the pact.

"Tch, I'm not even sure where that came from." Sonic laughed with a shrug.

"Maybe I should have done the speech, that way it would be seen as a believable event that actually happened." Tails joked to Sonic. We all laughed, even Shadow did a little.

"Sonic! Oh, that was so beautiful! We heard the whole speech, it was like a story right out of the adventures of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It was so romantic." Amy said, running into Sonic's arms, which willingly accepted her.

Sonic then turned to me,"Who was King Arthur?"

We had a late lunch, then Shadow and I teleported back with Chaos control to Angel Island, the red and purple emeralds in tow. Rouge was sitting on the stone alter, looking in a mirror at herself admiringly. She then turned to me and Shadow.

"Knuckles, Shadow! I was getting lonely," Rouge said with a pouting face. I smiled at her and picked her up in my arms, "Whoa, what's this all about?" she asked with a grin.

"What, can't I hold my favorite jewel hunter?" I joked.

"Yes, and it better **_only_** be me that you hold." she laughed, and kissed me on the cheek.

Yep, things were starting to look good for us.

end of chap.9 Now, I realize that Knuckles is actually a bright pink when he transforms in the games...but hey, yellow seems befitting for the others, so why not him? It will probably be a few days before I get the next chapter up, but don't worry, it will be worth the wait. Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Tails was planning on heading home tomorrow morning. It was a little sad, he lived so far of a trip to get there if we didn't use the X Tornado...well, Sonic could bring me there, but still.

"Tails, you know you're always welcome here..." I said that night. Tails however said that we was overstaying his welcome as it was, so he refused to comply.

"No, that's okay Amy. I really should be going home tomorrow. My projects won't get completed otherwise." he said.

Vector saw it as his personal responsibility to bring Cream home; Espio and Charmy had already headed back to the Chaotix headquarters before it the sun began to set. There was still streams of blue sky dying away to the orange and purple sunset. Vector stayed a little longer since Cream wanted to eat before leaving.

"Cream, we should probably get going before your mother gets worried about you." Vector said, trying to hint for her to hurry up. She finished her dinner and nodded.

"Okay Vector. You're probably right. But why do **_you_** want to bring me home? Sonic could get me home in a matter of minutes." Cream asked.

"Um...well...uhh...well, you see..." Vector stumbled on words, trying to maintain his compusure.

Sonic walked by him and coughed the words,"Vanilla, cough, ahem..."

"Ohhhhh...you like my mother, don't you?" Cream asked, a sly grin spreading across her face.

"Wh-wh-what! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Vector exclaimed nervously.

"Vector, if you care about Vanilla, then just tell her." I added with a wink. Vector was now red in the face, then shuffled his feet. Cream tapped him gently on the arm.

"Huh? What now, Cream?" he questioned.

"I can help you tell my mother how you feel...if you want." Cream offered.

"You...you would do that for me? You don't mind how I feel about your mother?" Vector asked with surprise in his voice.

"Of course I don't Vector! It would be great to have a dad!" she said with a hug from her and Cheese.

Vector was now open-jawed and awe struck,"What? A dad...you mean...your dad?"

"Yep! I think Mother feels the same for you anyway." Cream responded.

Vector stood there, simply speecheless.

"Hey Vector...you there?" Sonic said waving a hand in front of the crocodile's face.

"Huh? Y-yeah...I fine," he grinned, "No, I'm GREAT! Well Cream, let's bring you home then. Bye everyone!" Vector then turned towards the direction to Cream's house. He began to hum to himself, Cream tagging along with Cheese right behind.

"Aww! Cream may have a new member in her family soon!" I said adoringly. Tails nodded silently, then sighed deeply.

"Well, I think I should start packing. I should probably just leave tonight instead, I don't want to be a burden for-"

"The last thing you are is a burden, Tails." I interupted.

Tails didn't say anything, just shrugged. I had a feeling he wanted to tell me something, "...Amy, do you...er, never mind..." he said with a permissive wave of his hand.

"Do I what?" I asked.

"Nothing...it was nothing."

"Tails, tell me."

Tails sat quietly, then he asked, "Do you know what almost happened to me about a week ago?"

Oh no...I hoped this wouldn't have to happen, I played dumb, "No...what happened?"

Tails started to cry, and looked at me. His sapphire eyes shined from the large tears welling up in the corners, "I tried to...," he got choked up.

"Tails, you can tell me..." I said, trying to remain calm. I felt tears coming, but held them back. I needed to be strong for Tails.

Tails continued, shaking but speaking, "I tried to...commit suicide, Amy..." he said hollowly. He continued shedding tears, but was done with the sobbing. He held onto me, crying. I tried to hold back my own tears, but with no success. I was quiet, and could feel them run down my cheeks.

"T-Tails, are you serious?" I asked, pretending to be shocked. I remained quiet about Sonic having told me days ago about the incident.

"I didn't think I had anything left...Cosmo was gone...nothing was left for me...nothing...that's what I believed." he said quietly, still shaking a little.

"Tails, look at me," I said, a small smile on my face. He only looked down, his ears drooping in shame,"Look at me Tails..." I lifted his chin so he was looking at me directly, "You are **_not_** alone, and don't ever think that. You have Sonic, me, Rouge, Knuckles, Cream, and even Shadow. We all care for you, yes even Shadow shows some interest in your well being, believe it or not...throwing your life away would have been horrible, especially for Sonic." I secretly commended myself for being able to speak at the moment.

Tails looked out into the treeline near the house, and shook his head solemnly. He looked at me, then began laughing suddenly. It wasn't a mocking laugh, it was a honest laugh, and the sudden mood swing surprised me. I looked at him, a confused look appearing over the smile.

"You'll probably laugh when you hear this, but back when were fighting Eggman in Chris' world...I sort of had a...um, well, a crush on you." he said, staring at the ground.

I looked at him, a little surprised. Now I was definitely convinced that Tails was much older than his age told; he just said he had a crush on me, and he was younger than he is now.

"Well, what kept you from telling me?" I asked.

Tails frowned a little, "Sonic...you were in love with him, plus I knew I couldn't tell you...I felt that way until that night Cosmo crash landed here...then well, you know the rest." he finished, resting his head on my shoulders. He wasn't trying to make any moves on me, he merely was looking for comfort. I still felt my face burning a little, blushing ever so slightly.

"Do you think things would have been differnent had the Metarex not attacked?" I aksked him.

"Probably...I actually planned on telling you that very night, but well, things were different from what I planned." Tails said with a shy smile. His eyes were a little puffy, but he still looked very adorable...adorable, wow, now I'm referring to him as a little kid.

I felt a little guilty. Tails was a sweet kid, and would have definitely made a wonderful boyfriend for Cosmo, and he would definitely make a good father for a lucky woman someday. Sonic however, was the one I loved. Tails was a great second choice...no, I couldn't look at him like that though, not as a second choice. He was one of my best friends. I was even starting to see him in a similar light like Sonic did, like a younger brother. I'm sure though in some alternate world of ours in some alternate time, a Tails and Amy were happy together. Not here though, not like that. He was my...little brother.

A mischevious smile spread across my face, "Come here you!" I grabbed him in a headlock and fluffed the hair on his head. Then I tickled his soft spot; the white patch of fur on his chest. A little something I learned about him when I was starting to know him years ago.

"Haha! Amy, stop! Heeheeehaahaa!" he was now convulsing with laughter. I stopped when he cried mercy, and when he found it hard to breath. He didn't even attempt to retaliate, he was too tired to get up.

"Tails, you'll make a girl really happy someday," I said. He got up and blushed, "Just keep you chin up, and remember you have friends with you all the time." I got up and followed him.

Tails nodded, then yawned a little, "Umm...I think I might as well stay for one more night. Flying the X Tornado at night while I'm tired could be dangerous. Is Sonic done with those chili dogs yet? I'm going to eat before I go to bed." Tails asked me.

My stomach did a somersault, and I felt queasy at the sound of the words. That's one thing about Sonic I could do without...chili dogs...Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were crazy over them. I think it was starting to wear off on Shadow as well...I swore I saw him eat four of them in five minutes (mind you, Sonic loads the chili on these when he makes them), but Shadow still denies such claims.

Tails ate two chili dogs, then went to bed with a satisfied stomach. I went into the kitchen and helped Sonic clean up.

"He is definitely alot older in maturity than I ever was at his age." I said, drying the dishes.

Sonic grunted a reply of agreement, then turned to me with a curious grin on his face, "So what did he talk to you about?"

I told him the bad part...Sonic tensed up a little, but when I told him how I resolved Tails depression, he eased up again. I giggled a little then, "Oh yeah, he just told me that he once had a crush on me...he said he had kept it to himself ever since we arrived at Chris' world. He got over it though when Cosmo arrived though...things changed then, and he seemed happier when she arrived."

Sonic grinned, "Really? Why didn't he tell you?"

"I was crazy over you, not him. He was afraid I would turn him down immediately...sad enough, he would probably have been close in accuracy." I replied with a shrug.

Sonic began to shuffle his feet, and kept opening his mouth to say something, but shook his head.

"Sonic, what's the matter?"

"Ummm...c-can you wait for me out on the front porch for just a second? I-I'll be there in a little bit." he stuttered.

"...Sure Sonic, no problem..." I replied with a confused look at him.

I walked out to the front porch, a light breeze blew through the air. The moon was shining brightly, casting shadows over the lawn...it was beautiful, and romantic.

Sonic appeared on the front lawn from the side of the house. He stopped at the steps of the porch. He had one hand behind his back, and a sheepish yet sincere smile on his face. I was about to walk over to him when he motioned for me to sit on the porch swing.

"Amy...we've been friends for quite a long time now, right?" Sonic asked, staring at my eyes.

"Uh huh..." I nodded.

"Well, first I'd like to say...thanks, for your friendship. I'm not one for thanking people like this too often. Secondly, thanks for giving me a wonderful place to live." he continued.

"Well, that's what friend do, they take care of each other." I said, blushing a little at the thank you from him.

"You're more than a friend to me Amy...you know that, right?" he asked, walking up to the steps.

He then pulled from behind him a red rose...it wasn't one of mine from the flower garden though, mine were all pink. He must have bought it.

"Here Amy...I want you to have it." he said giving it to me.

I took it happily. I was about to say thank you when something on the rose's stem caught my eye. A band of golden light from the stem reflected the moonlight. On that golden band was...a clear, diamond-like shine...it was...a diamond!

"S-S-Sonic?" I was looking at him, and he smiled gently to me. He then pulled the diamond ring off the stem of the rose.

"Amy Rose...?" he asked, taking my hands in his. He was trembling like mad.

"Y-yes Sonic...?"

His breathing was shaky, and he gulped, as though he was having trouble speaking, "W-will...you...will you...geez, come on Sonic, four words, you can do this...will you...marry...me?"

I gasped, my eyes grew wide, filling up with tears. I smiled, and felt like my soul was sing with all the joy in the world. I tackled Sonic in a hug, and we rolled on the grass, "Yes! Yes Sonic the Hedgehog, I will marry you!"

Sonic was smiling with the most joy I've ever seen in him...and then I heard something from him I thought I'd never hear...crying. He had tears in his eyes, and a smile that could make even Eggman cry.

"Good...I was hoping for that answer." he laughed.

I got up and he did too. He and I stared into each other's eyes for a long time it seemed, but I knew in reality, it was for less than a few minutes. Our emerald eyes sparkled with joy, amazement, love, and even a little fear perhaps.

"Do you think we should let Tails know?" I asked him.

"Wait until morning, he needs sleep after all the the stuff he did today." Sonic replied.

We both quietly went back into the house, and got ready for bed. Before I went upstairs, I put a note by Tails' plant:

-Tails

Talk to me or Sonic before you leave tomorrow. We have wonderful news to share with you!

-Amy

I went upstairs and stopped at Sonic's door. I knocked softly.

"Yeah?" I heard Sonic reply.

"Sonic, it's me." I called back. He said to come in, and I opened the door to see Sonic sitting up in his bed, scratching his ears.

"Hey Amy...what do you need." he asked, grinning kindly.

"Mind if I share the room with you tonight? We are engaged now, aren't we?" I asked shyly.

He nodded with the same grin on his face, and moved over to the left side of his bed, which surprisinly enough, was clean. I crawled in, and rest my head against his arm. I fell asleep, feeling the happiest I ever had felt in my entire life. 'You were right Tails,' I thought, 'Sonic and I **_do_** have a future together.'

end of chap.10...gives ya the warm-fuzzies doesn't it? More stuff on the way! Hurray for Sonamy! The upcoming stuff will go more back to Tails, so don't worry!


	11. Chapter 11

-Tails P.O.V

I got up to the smell of eggs and ham. I looked at my watch, and yawned, "Nine thirty-six...guess I slept in longer than planned." I stretched a little as I sat up. Truth was, I had been planning on leaving at six o' clock so Sonic and Amy would try to persuade me to stay any longer. It wasn't that I didn't like them, but I had to get home and get back to normal, or as normal as possible anyway.

I turned to the window in the living room to check on my plant. It was peacefully standing there in its clay pot, soaking up the sun. Then I noticed a piece of paper by the plant. It was a note in Amy's hand writing. I scanned over it; it was brief yet interesting. I walked into the kitchen to see Sonic whistling to himself quietly as he made some eggs.

"Morning, Sonic." I said, yawning a little more. Sonic turned and grinned, he sure seemed extremely hapy this morning. Not that he was grumpy in the morning often, but I felt my sixth sense telling me something about today was different.

"Hey, Tails, good morning to you too. You want your eggs scrambled or sunny-side up?" he asked with a twirl of his skillet.

"Sunny-side sounds fine...you and Amy said you had news for me?" I asked with a inquisitive look. I handed the note to Sonic and he quickly read it and chuckled.

"Yep, we've got news allright. I think it would be better if Amy was here too though before you find out." Sonic said, turning back to the stove top and began to prepare my eggs.

Amy came down downstairs, her pink pajamas still on. She gave me a hug with a cheerful, "Good morning Tails!", then went over to Sonic who she kissed on the cheek. It was still a little strange to see this, but as long at least they were giving the whole relationship thing a chance. I wondered how far this would go though.

We all sat down, and ate our breakfast while talking about this and that...mostly Amy reminiscing about me and Sonic's time with her way back when. I was busy eating and looking at my plate that it took me a while to notice that Amy and Sonic had stopped eating. I turned to them from across the table only to see them staring at me.

"Something wrong?" I asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. I continued eating, trying not to look distressed.

"Tails, you know that news we had for you? Well, I think we can tell you now." Sonic said, turning to Amy. I noticed that she was looking at her left hand, blushing slightly. On her left hand was a diamond ring over her ring finger...a nice one too...wait a second, a ring!

I choked on my eggs, realizing what was going on suddenly, "You're engaged!" I said after chugging some orange juice to help me get down the eggs.

Amy suddenly noticed that her hand was exposed, "Awwww, well so much for the surprise. Yes, we are..." Amy answered with a red face and joyful smile.

I was silent for a minute, blinking. Sonic looked at my face, a worried expression forming on his own face. I noticed this and quickly said, "Well that's great! Congrats to you both!"

Amy and Sonic smiled, "Thanks bud, we appreciate it. Glad you're happy about it." Sonic replied.

"Well of course. This is wonderful news! So...when is the big day?" I asked.

"The first day of summer." Amy replied.

"That's...one, two...three weeks from now...wow, that soon? You have it all planned out already?" I asked.

"Tails, you forget, I had this day planned out **_years_** ago..." Amy laughed. I laughed, I forgot how Amy had always tried to get Sonic to marry her way back when.

They told a little about the plans, but what got my attention was what Sonic asked me, "So...Tails, I was wondering, would you care to be the best man at the ceremony?"

I was a little embarassed by the offer, "Me? Maybe Knuckles should, I mean-"

"No, no...I would really be happy if you had the honor Tails." Sonic argued.

"Sure, I guess. I don't know if I'd look good in a tuxedo though..." I sighed. I began feeling wierd, almost...bothered...

"Oh stop it. You'd look adorable in a tuxedo." Amy laughed.

"Yeah, **_adorable_**." I said a tone a little more rude than I intended.

"Hey, hey...what's with the attitude?" Sonic asked, getting a little defensive for Amy. Amy looked a little hurt by my comment.

"Nothing...um, I think I should get going. Thanks for everything Amy and Sonic. I'll stop by sometime soon, and you guys are more than welcome at my place..." I replied flatly.

"Tails, are you-"

"I'm fine...a little homesick I guess..." I said, not entirely sure what my problem was. I had lied, using homesickness as an excuse. Sonic paused, then shrugged.

I packed my stuff up, still feeling wierd. I headed for the X Tornado, the sun reflecting off the jet's windshield.

"Tails!" I heard the voice of Sonic call out.

I turned around, not in any mood for confrontation at the moment, "Yes, Sonic?" I faced him, one hand on the door handle of the X Tornado.

"Do you want to talk? You seemed upset back in the house." he asked, pushing on the door to keep me from opening it.

"Sonic, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." I lied again.

"Okay, now try answering my question again," Sonic said, raising an eyebrow. He knew that something was bothering me, "You never were a good liar Tails. Just tell me what's wrong."

I frowned, then let go of the door handle. I guess it would be better for me to tell him now than have him hound me about it for a week, "I'm not entirely sure what's wrong...you nad Amy getting married is great and all, I truly mean that, but...I...I just have the feeling that you guys are going to forget about me sooner or later. I mean, you have a new life and all, and I live quite far from anyone else."

Sonic seemed a little surprised, "Now why would I ever do that to you? Amy would never do that to you. Tails...you're my little brother, regardless if we're not truly related by blood. Amy thinks the same too. Sure, things will change in my life, but I'll still be here for you."

I smiled at these words, it was good to hear that he wasn't a completely new guy now that he was engaged. Good for Amy as well.

"You have to understand Tails, Amy means alot to me. I care for her in a different way than I do for you and the others. I'll always be your friend though, so don't worry about that." Sonic added with a grin.

I felt better now. I gave Sonic a brotherly hug, then got into the X Tornado, "Hey Sonic, we won't have to douse ourselves in cologne at the wedding, right?"

Sonic shrugged. I laughed; it seemed Amy would be deciding that too. I looked to the house to see Amy waving. I waved back, then fired up the engines.

"Take care Tails, I'll see you agains soon, okay?" Sonic yelled over the roar of the engines. I nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Then I started to take off down the dirt road. I turned around to see my plant securely strapped in the back seat. I pulled back on the steering handles, and the jet slowly arched upward.

"Well, time to see what I can write up for a wedding reception speech...great, public speaking, not my strong point." I groaned with a laugh. I couldn't think about screwing up though, no matter what, it would be a great day, regardless of what happens.

I landed the X Tornado outside the hangar, and walked inside my house. Things looked as they were when I left...except that I didn't have peanut butter and jelly on the counter with an opened bag of bread next to the jars.

"Hello?" I called, ready to defend myself.

"In here," replied a familar, low, quiet voice. I looked in the living room to see Shadow sitting in a chair eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and reading a book.

"Shadow, why are you here?" I asked, unsure whether to smile, or yell at him.

He looked at me and smirked, "Yeah, sorry. Knuckles and Rouge wanted some time to themselves, so apparantly Angel Island isn't big enough for **_three_** people at the moment. You're the only guy I know who wouldn't be mad if I grabbed a bite to eat."

"Well, I guess I'm glad you left everything out; walking into the living room and seeing you suddenly without me knowing would have scared the living daylights out of me." I answered.

Shadow continued reading, then set the book down. He finished the sandwich, then got up from the chair.

"Well, thanks for the food...even though I didn't ask or get offered any...um, I guess I'll be leaving." Shadow said, pulling out his green Chaos emerald.

"Leaving already? You're welcome to stay longer if you want." I offered, kind of hoping he would hang out for awhile.

"...Heh, sure, why not? Thanks Tails." he nodded with a smirk.

"No problem! Come on, I'll show you my inventions I'm working on! Maybe you could help?" I asked.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind doing some work with a wrench." he replied.

I showed him the interior of my garage and hangar. He seemed fairly impressed with it all.

"How did you ever manage to find the time and energy to make all this?" he inquired, specifically referring to the Blue Typhoon.

"What, the Blue Typhoon? Well, I just have my inspirational moments, then start on the idea. As far as energy...I eat alot of sugar...I get a little twitchy, but still, I get things done." I explained.

Shadow laughed. It wasn't like Sonic's or Knuckles' laugh. It had a rougher edge to it, and sounded like it had not been used that often...then again, Shadow didn't have much to laugh about in his life.

Shadow helped me fix and make updates on the Blue Typhoon, though I knew I probably wouldn't use it again for ages unless the need for it was desperate. Shadow did most of the heavy lifting, I did the technical stuff. He seemed fairly interested in how I operated and programmed everything, though he didn't completely follow it. He had more computer savvy than Sonic or Knuckles, so explaining things to him wasn't as difficult.

"Shadow, could you hand me that welding torch?" I asked, pointing behind me as I repaired and adjusted the landing gear.

"Sure thing, just a second." Shadow replied, walking over to the counter.

I began to weld and fix the Blue Typhoon. Shadow watched intently, unblinking as the sparks flew.

"You know Shadow, you might want a welding mask like the one I have on...staring at the torch isn't good for the eyes." I said, stopping momentarily.

"I'm fine Tails, it doesnt' bother me really. I mean, I was created to endure almost anything. The torch doesn't really hurt my eyes, to be honest." Shadow answered. Again, the black and red hedgehog amazed me.

So we continued for another hour, then called it a day for working in the hangar. I ate some left over ramen, then went outside. Shadow was leaning against my house, an expressionless look on his face. One thing that I guess contributed to Shadow and me getting along was that we enjoyed peace and quiet so much.

"You have a nice place here Tails. How long have you lived here?" Shadow asked me.

"Hmmmm...about...four to five years, give or take." I replied, rubbing my chin.

"You built it by yourself?" he asked.

"Well, Sonic and Knuckles helped a little. Most of it was done by me though." I answered.

"Amazing...um...sorry for this random question, but how did you end up so intelligent? It just amazes me at how someone your age is so intellectual." he continued.

"I've asked myself the same question for years. Truth is, I don't know. My memories before I met Sonic are few and far between. I think I could solve and formulate trigonometry problems at three years though, but I'm not certain." I replied.

Shadow shook his head with disbelief, "No wonder Eggman took you so seriously when you piloted the Blue Typhoon or when you used other technology."

"Heh heh...thanks Shadow." I smiled.

Shadow nodded, then turned to face the horizon, "You have quite the talent Tails...you're one of the few people I trust on a personal level. Just remember that if you need anything, I'm always availabe to help. I mean that."

"I appreciate it Shadow, that means alot ." I responded. He then gave me friendly punch on the shoulder. I tried not to show the pain; he wasn't trying hurt me, but he was more powerful than Knuckles at regular power at least.

"Don't mention it Tails. Well, I'm going to head out now," he turned around, but stopped, "If you need me, use that emerald and concentrate on calling me...wherever you are, I'll be there before you know it." then he sped off with a burst of his jet shoes in a yellow streak of light.

I walked back inside, and booted up my computer. I checked up some data on the Chaos emeralds I had uploaded months ago. I spent a good two hours updating the information, as well as deleting obsolete information.

"Well...now what to do?" I pondered. Then an idea came to mind. Why not run some tests on myself?

I strapped some monitoring instruments to my arms, legs, chest, temples, and forehead. I turned on the monitoring equipment, and went onto a treadmill. I ran for a while, then picked up speed. I went into a similar run that I did with Sonic and Amy sometime back. After six minutes in an all-out sprint, I tired myself out a bit, so I stopped for a while. I turned of the machinerary, then took a half hour break.

When I felt my strength come back, I hooked up everything again. I began to run, but this time I held the white Chaos emerald in my hand. My endurance lasted longer it seemed. I continued my full sprint for a good twelve minutes; it seemed that the Chaos emerald had doubled my strength. I was panting heavily, and took a drink of water. I scanned the data, and dropped the glass of water. It clanged against the floor.

"I-impossible..." I stuttered. According to the data, I had been only twenty-six miles per hour under breaking the sound barrier. I had built the treadmill for Sonic, so going at such speeds was no problem for it. Still...only twenty-six under...how?

"It's got to be the emerald." I confirmed to myself, then scanned the data further. According to the energy output, my body had only gained more strength and endurance from the emerald, but not any speed. I found myself think about that run with Amy and Sonic, then to what Shadow had said a while back, that it wasn't the emerald's power, but my own natural abililty. I wasn't that fast or athletic, was I?

I walked over to a mirror, and examined myself. I looked a bit taller, maybe a little more built. My overall appearance hadn't changed since we left the planet to fight the Metarex though.

"Hmmm...interesting. If I'm able to run that fast, then maybe I can learn how to fight better. Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles could teach me. I'll wait until tomorrow to call Sonic." I thought aloud. I went outside to take a walk through the Mystic ruins.

"I wonder just how powerful I can become." I pondered. The only way I would know was to find out through experience.

I never felt so eagar to spar with the others in my entire life.

end of chap.11 Sorry for the long wait. Yeah, things are busy right now, glad everyone likes the story so far! Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

-Tails' P.O.V

I spent most of the day enjoying the lovely weather. I rarely went on such outings anymore, mainly because I got so caught up in my work. The sky was clear, and it was fairly warm out. I only wished I had someone to talk to. These ruins got a little lonely at times.

I stopped walking, a wierd feeling came over me. I felt like someone...or something, was following. I looked around, and clenched my fists.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" I yelled, half expecting an ambush.

"Right behind you Tails." came a voice that sounded calm and strong. It was a familiar one.

I turned around to see, well, nothing. I laughed a little, "Hey Espio. What are you doing here?"

A purple chameleon materialized from his camouflage and smiled a little, "Sorry, an old habit. I'm surprised you sensed me."

"Yeah, me too," I added, "What brings you here?" I inquired again.

"Meditation," he shrugged, "I go here once in a while."

"Oh, I didn't disturb you, did I?"

"No, I was done a while ago." Espio answered, waving a hand dismissively.

Truth was, I rarely conversed with Espio. He was good-natured, but he kept to himself. I respected that, so tried to give him his privacy.

"Tails, what drove you to learn Chaos control? I know you had more reasons than just to protect the planet." Espio asked me.

I was finding myself lost for responses. It was one thing to tell Sonic or Knuckles. It was another to tell Espio.

"I have my reasons...don't get me wrong, I'm not making up some elaborate scheme to gain control of the planet...I would just rather not discuss it." I replied.

I understand. I'm sorry if I seemed intrusive at all." Espio apologized.

"Oh, it's fine. I'm not offended." I said with a chuckle.

Espio and I strolled through the ruins. We talked about recent happenings, and whatever else came to mind.

"You know, Sonic and Amy are engaged now. Sonic proposed to her just last night." I said.

"Really? Hm, well, that's definitely something I didn't expect to see coming for a while." Espio commented with surprise.

"Yeah, I know. Amy's got it all planned out already. Down to the flowers she'll have in her boquet." I added.

"Oh boy...tell me we're wearing black tuxedoes." Espio said hopefully.

"He he...nope, white tuxedoes."

"Great..." he sighed.

"Yeah, well, at least you don't have to make some formal dinner speech." I pointed out with a groan.

"Why do you have to do that?" Espio asked.

Because I'm the best man." I answered.

"Well, that's great. I think Sonic made the right choice." Espio replied with a grin.

We ended up in front of my house after some time passed. The sun was starting to hover over the treeline. It was close to seven or so.

"Hey, Espio, can you not mention the wedding plans to anyone? I don't want to ruin the surprise for Sonic and Amy when they tell everyone." I asked him.

"Sure thing Tails. I won't tell anyone." he said with a curt bow.

"Promise?" I inquired, crossing my arms.

"On my honor, I promise." he replied.

"Thanks Espio."

"Well of course." he said with a pat on the shoulder.

I said goodbye to the chameleon and watched him run off into the horizon, heading back to the Chaotix headquarters. The sky was now a deep pink and gold.

I pulled the white Chaos emerald out from my tail fur. How it managed to stay in the fur amazes me, but I tried not to dwell on little things like that.

"Well, it's getting late...better head inside." I said to myself. The white Chaos emerald glowed in my hands, and I felt at peace like numerous times before. The wave of serenity made its way through every fiber of my being, and I felt rested and soothed of any fatigue.

I had a slice of pizza from a few days ago and warmed it up in the microwave, then went to bed. Strangely, I found sleep a little hard to get, despite the fact I had the Chaos emerald with me.

I had a wierd dream too. I was standing in a smoky, barren wasteland, it looked like a wild fire had just gone through the area.

On either side of me was a fox that looked just like me. One appeared to be me in my super form. The other looked like me, but what should have been a light orange was almost a murky brown, with a black smoky aura coming off the body. His eyes were blue, as mine would have normally looked. However, this form of me looked...evil.

I then saw a familiar figure of Sonic laying on the ground. He looked like he was on the virge of life and death, his breathing was labored and shallow, and his pupils were mere dots. He looked at me with fear.

"S-Sonic?" I spoke, scared of the situation before me.

He flinched at my voice, "No...please, Tails, don't! Please, just get away!" he was trembling with a fear I've never seen in him before.

"Tails...we can help him. He's your friend, despite what has happened, we can still help him." spoke my super form.

"Help **_him_**? Ha, what an idiotic suggestion! Kill him Tails! **_He_** killed Cosmo, not you! It was **_his_** idea to launch the cannon on her! he deserves the pain!" spoke the darker half of me.

"W-what...?" I spoke, looking at the two.

"You must choose Tails..." spoke my super form.

"Choose? Choose what?" I repeated.

"Your **_destiny_**, Miles Prower...either save the galaxy, or conquer it and destroy all who oppose you!" replied my darker form.

I turned to Sonic, then lifted my hands. Would I heal him? Would I blast him away?

I awoke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. My clock read two fifteen in the morning. I slumped into my pillow, and scratched my ears.

"What was that all about?" I asked myself.

I picked up the emerald on the side of my pillow and held it to my chest. I began to feel tears again.

"Cosmo, I need you right now...but I can't see you in this world. I can't take much more of this pain." I cried.

I sat there for quite awhile, crying to myself. I think I was losing it. I held the emerald, my fists trying to clench onto it as much as possible.

"What did I do to deserve this!" I screamed, and threw the emerald at my bedroom wall. A dent appeared where it hit, but the emerald remained perfectly intact.

"The emeralds caused me so much pain, yet they have also done so much good. Why did they have to aid in Cosmo's death though? Why? Why...?" I felt a cold bitterness run through me, "Why does everyone act like it couldn't have been stopped? Cosmo was just 'meant' to die in order to save the galaxy! She didn't deserve death...never...she never..." I trailed off, simmering with anger at life, and the cold reality of it all.

I don't know what happened at this point. Maybe it was a reaction to the Chaos emerald, or maybe it was just my imagination. I felt myself surging with a new power...one full of hate and contempt at nothing in particular.

"If I had the chance, I would have ripped that Dark Oak limb from limb," I growled, unsure where these words came from. I noticed a black, hazy aura on my body, "Then I would destroy every single on of those robotic scrap heaps called Metarex." I said, clenching my fists. Why was I so angry?

I went to a mirror and jumped back in surprise. I was staring at the same evil-looking fox from my dream.

"What the-?" I found myself suddenly consumed by some untamed fury; a need for revenge. On who though, those who tried to harm Cosmo? Then it struck me, that only one person was still alive that had tried to do her any harm. That one day when it was discovered that Cosmo had unwillingly and unknowingly been a spy for the Metarex. My eyes were full of fury, and I heard a canine-like growl escape my throat. I felt like a wild animal. Someone had tried to destroy her. Someone had got onto the ship and tried to permanantely eliminate her.

"Shadow..." I growled.

I felt a small voice trying to call me back to peace, but this anger couldn't be supressed. It felt like instinct to me. I had to avenge Cosmo. I bent down and picked up the white Chaos emerald.

"Be ready, Shadow...because now you'll know what it's like to be helpless...to be hunted down." I said, still unsure where this anger had come from. With that, I opened my bedroom window, and flew off in a burst of energy. I was focused on one thing...and only one thing.

Destroying Shadow the Hedgehog...

end of chap.12. Yeah, it's been awhile since I've updated. Anyone who saw the Sonic X metarex saga episode where Sonic went all black and dark looking can probably imagine that being similar in appearance to Tails. I've got more on the way, so thanks for continuing to read!


	13. Chapter 13

-Shadow's P.O.V

I returned to Angel Island only an hour ago. Knuckles and Rouge were nowhere to be seen, so I decided to watch over the Master Emerald.

The stars were starting to come out when I felt a powerful force...it felt like Chaos energy...but different.

"What is that...?" I looked to the south, where the energy seemed to be coming from.

Where had I felt such an energy? I tried to recall back to a certain battle with the Metarex...this was a dark energy.

"Wait a minute, Sonic let off an energy like this...he was...angry about something," I said. He had tried to rescue Chris and Cosmo, but he ended up having more trouble instead, "He lost his temper and transformed inot a darker form of himself."

Whether it was those fake emeralds the Metarex had, or just him, he had a brief power boost and a complete change in attitude. From the cocky, showboating hedgehog, to a menacing, almost evil hedgehog. Sonic and I gave this form a name: Dark Super Sonic.

Well, regardless, this energy was clearly powerful, and heading this way. I stood by the Master Emerald's altar and readied myself. I saw the source of this energy, and was surprised.

"Tails? Is that you!" I asked the figure who landed in front of the altar. It looked like Tails, but his fur was darker, almost a murky orange or brown. A black aura surrounded him.

"It's time to do what I should've done awhile ago, Shadow," the young two-tailed fox spoke, "I'm going to destroy you...for trying to harm Cosmo."

My fists clenched, "Tails, look, I'm sorry for that! I didn't realize she was unknowingly a spy until after the fact! Trust me on this!"

"SAVE IT FOR THE AFTERLIFE!" Tails yelled, shaking with raw emotion.

"Tails, what happened to you? You changed." I asked him, noticing the way he was glaring at me.

His expression suddenly changed. He looked fearful, "S-Shadow...help me...I-I feel like I've lost control of myself."

"So you **_did_** transform...Tails, listen to me, you've got to let go of the anger in you! You'll only do more damage to yourself by staying as you are." I told him.

Tails glared at me again, and a ball of energy, blue this time instead of the usual yellow, glowed in his hands, "Prepare yourself Shadow..."

"So be it Tails...I'll give you a beating you'll never forget." I said, getting into a fighting stance. I didn't want to fight Tails, but this wasn't the Tails I knew.

Without any warning, Tails leapt at me, covering the distance between us in hundreths of a seconds. I blocked a swift kick, then gave Tails a left hook into the jaw. He crashed into a tree, but got up immediately. He looked unphased. That energy ball in his hand grew, still charging up.

"Chaos spear!" I threw back my hand and flung a pointed blast of Chaos energy. Tails jumped up, but fell for the trap. I quickly moved right above him.

"Right above you!" I yelled, slammed my elbow into his back. At least, that's what I would have hit, but I only made contact with air. He was gone.

I looked up to see a blur of murky brown tail lash at me. I closed my eyes, and felt my cheeks sting. I began to feel blood run down my face.

"Are you finished?" Tails asked, grinning menacingly.

"Not a chance!" I kicked him in the stomach, and he let out a gasp of air. He winced, then looked at me again. He had a fearful look on his face again.

"Shadow, my Chaos emerald...it's in my tail fur...get it..." he pleaded.

I nodded, and grabbed him by the throat to keep him from getting away, but enough to allow him to breath a little. I tried to get at his tails, but they thrashed about. His darker side was in control again.

"Tails! You need to stop! You are letting your hatred and negative emotions get to you!" I growled. He glared coldly, then suddenly bit me in the arm. I let go from the pain of his canines puncturing skin, and he hopped out of my grip.

"Listen to you! What good would that do?" he then lifted his hand and aimed, only inches from my face. I was too close to dodge it in time, I stood there, ready to endure the blast. I closed my eyes as the light began to shine in his hands.

A sound of rushing wind, almost like wings, followed by the sound of an object hitting another was all I heard. I looked to see Tails on the ground, unconsious. Rouge stood next to him with her hands at her hips. Knuckles was picking up a white Chaos emerald that Tails had with him only moments ago.

"Thanks Rouge." I said.

"No problem Shadow." she said with a wink.

I went over to pick up a now normal Tails. He was breathing steadily, and only had a small bruise on his head. Rouge was good at stunning blows, and from what I could see, she dealt Tails a light one.

"Knuckles, we need to get him to your place. He needs to rest, and I have to talk to him." I said.

"What happened? Why was he attacking you?" the echidna asked, crossing his arms.

"I'm not entirely sure. Whatever the case, it was caused by negative emotions...he pulled off a transformation like Sonic did with those fake emeralds that the Metarex had." I answered.

"I thought I sensed a dark energy on the island. It's a good thing we got here when we did." Knuckles added.

We brought Tails to Knuckles' place, and put him in Knuckles bed with a cold rag over his bruise.

"I wish I hadn't kicked him so hard. For all I know, I may have caused him a concussion, or brain damage..." Rouge said with a worried look.

"Don't worry, Tails is a tough kid. He's had worse injuries." Knuckles reassured her.

Tails was unconcious for only fifteen minutes when his eyes snapped open. I sensed him awaken, even though I was in a different room.

"Shadow? Shadow, are you here?" he called out.

I walked in, "Right here, Tails."

Tails gave a relieved sigh, then slumped back into the bed, "Good, for a minute I thought I had-"

"It takes a lot more than a few punches and kicks to do me in." I added, smirking.

"Yeah, I realize that...but what happened to me? I didn't use Chaos control, did I?" Tails asked me, a confused look forming on his face.

"Yes...and no...you were using the Chaos emeralds negative energy to become stronger. Negative energy is easier to access. Sonic reacted similarly with a bunch of fake emeralds when we fought the Metarex. We call that form the Dark Super form." I explained.

"I didn't want to use the negative energy. I was just really upset, and the next thing I know I'm fighting you." he said.

"I'm sure you didn't mean to, but you did. It's not the fact that you did, it's how powerful and volatile you were in that form that disturbs me." I replied, crossing my arms.

"I just remember thinking about Cosmo...how she said it was her destiny to give her life to save the galaxy...I just couldn't accept that. It's my fault." Tails said, shaking his head.

I knew where he was coming from, because i felt the same when I watched Maria die in front of me. Death didn't seem right for her.

"Tails, I don't want you going down the dark path that I had taken at one time...this may sound harsh, but...move on...when Maria died, I felt bitter and hateful. However, thanks to you and the others, I'm starting to recover a little...slowly but surely." I spoke in a quiet tone, not entirely comfortable speaking about my past.

"You're right Shadow. You know, I'm glad you're around, I don't know what we would do without you." Tails smiled.

I laughed a little, "I appreciate the compliment Tails. Get some rest now bud, I'll-" I stopped in mid sentence.

"What's the matter?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"I just called you 'bud'; that Sonic is rubbing off on me...heh. Sleep in today, I'll wake you up around eleven." I said, and left the room to let him sleep.

I walked out into the pre-dawn light of Angel Island. Knuckles and Rouge were resting next to each other on blankets covering a rock.

I smiled, and enjoyed the awkward feeling of happiness.

I guess I really was beginning to move on.

end of chap.13 Shadow smiled? gasp Yeah, these will be rare moments, getting in touch with Shadow's emotions. I'm currently working on the following chapters, so give me a while. Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

-Cosmo's P.O.V

"What happened? Why did Tails turn so...evil...?"

I had asked myself this question three times now, but still didn't have an answer.

I had just witnessed a different side of Tails; his darker side, the one that was usually hidden.

"Oh Tails...did I bring this upon you? Did I cause this to happen? All that pain?" I asked, already knowing that I **_did_** have an influence over how he had acted. Luckily, Shadow, Rouge, and Knuckles stopped him.

I walked through the immense flower field, the trees swaying softly in a calm breeze. This place was interesting, it never remained in the same state for long. One minute, I could see an immense mountain range, the next minute those mountains were rolling hills and valleys, then an evergreen forest.

I had no true idea what this place was. I felt alive, yet I also didn't; I felt all-knowing, yet so confused. Whatever the case, if this place was the afterlife, I had no disdain for it.

However, my thoughts drifted back to Tails, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was to blame.

"Tails, I'm sorry...I truly am..."

I cried into my hands, but stopped when I heard a kind voice, "Excuse me, are you okay?"

I looked up to see two very bright, glistening eyes that were the color of a light blue. A young female animal was standing in front of me, concern clearly shown on her face. She reminded me of Knuckles...what did he say he was...a hedgehog? No, that was Sonic, Amy, and Shadow's species...

"...an echidna..." I said subconciously.

"Um, yes, I am an echidna. My name's Tikal." she said with a serene smile.

Tikal gave me a feeling of comfort. She seemed kind, wise, and peaceful above all other things. She wore what appeared to be ancient tribal clothing. She adorned a white colored top, and a green skirt. On her head was a tiara, and she had also wore beautiful golden bracelets on her wrists. Her dreadlocks each had a band holding them together.

"I-I'm Cosmo..." I stuttered.

"Hello Cosmo, pleased to meet you. I noticed you sitting here, and I thought you were crying." Tikal spoke.

"I was..." I admitted. I decided I could trust her.

"Why?" Tikal asked, taking a seat on the grass next to me.

"I died protecting someone I loved...his friends too...he was a dear friend of mine." I sighed. I doubted that she knew much on what I went through.

Tikal, however, smiled, as though she knew something. She giggled.

"What?" I asked her, a little angered.

"So, **_you_** the girl that helped stop the Metarex." she replied.

"How did you-"

"I'm a former guardian of the Master emerald, and I'm also connected spiritually with it." she explained, "The whole time it was in space, I sensed what was going on."

"Do you know Sonic, Knuckles, and the others?" I asked.

"I do, I'm an ancestor of Knuckles'...though I'm not entirely sure how we're connected...probably some great great and so-on aunt of his...but I know you were connected with someone too..." she said, her eyes revealing understanding of sadness I was experiencing.

"Tails..." I answered.

"Oh, yes, I remember him. He was a bright young fox, and had a very loving heart," Tikal said, her expression softening a little after noticing my tears, "Were you two...in love?"

"We still are I think." I said with a hollow laugh.

Tikal put a hand on my shoulder, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I smiled, this was a rare chance to let out my emotions to someone that at least encountered Tails, "Yes, I would like that alot actually."

We talked about our lives, and I learned alot about Tikal. She lived on Angel Island, just like Knuckles does, and she too lost her family to the power of corruption, this loss was however related to the Chaos emeralds. A vicious creature called Chaos attacked her people after they attempted to use the emeralds' power for selfish purposes. She managed to have it stopped through the Master emerald by sealing her spirit as well as Chaos' inside the Master emerald. This ended the terror, but didn't bring back her family that she lost. Eons later, the creature and herself broke free by means involving Eggman, and the monster had aquired the power of all the Chaos emeralds again, transforming to the same creature as age before. Super Sonic put the monster to rest, and Tikal's restless spirit as well.

"You see, with Chaos running free, my spirit was at unease. Once Chaos was stopped, I was finally able to find peace like the creature did." Tikal explained.

"Wow, so you were able to talk to Knuckles and the others?" I asked.

"Only when the Master emerald had been shattered...I don't think it would work now Cosmo." she said, answering the other question I was going to ask.

"Oh, I see..." I sighed again.

"Still, you can talk to Tails through the white Chaos emerald." Tikal added, trying to cheer me up.

"Yes, but even that is a rare occasion, and it puts such a strain on us both mentally...I feel so drained afterwards." I said truthfully. I usually took a good two day rest after speaking to Tails, at least I think it was two days.

Tikal nodde, then got up, "Cosmo, I want you to know that if you need to talk to someone, I'm always available for you. You're a good person, and I'm glad I met you."

"How would I find you?" I asked, tilting my head.

"You are a spirit, right?" she questioned.

"Yes..."

"Well, concentrate on my spiritual energies that you feel from me...the rest is left to finding which direction they're heading or coming from. Same goes for me finding you." she answered.

I got up, and embraced her in a friendly hug. She responed with a laugh, then I spoke, "Thank you Tikal, you've helped me alot. I only hope this can help me get closer to Tails."

-Tails P.O.V

I awoke after about maybe five hours of sleep, maybe less. Shadow said I should sleep in, but I never was one to oversleep past nine, if that ever did happen. I got out of bed and stretched a little, the sun was casting early morning light into the room.

When I stepped out of the room, I saw a familiar shine of the white Chaos emerald. Next to it was a note written in some choppy handwriting, almost as bad as Sonic's, but still legible.

-Tails

We want you to take the emerald. Even after what happened, I still trust you can take care of yourself with the emerald. We went down to the surface to tell Sonic and the others; it's only fair that they know. Get yourself something to eat, we should be home around noon or so.

Knuckles

P.S- sorry, all we have is fruit. If you want anything different, you have to find it.

I groaned, I really was hoping for bacon and eggs, or at least some waffles.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a pear. It was surprisingly good, and soon I found myself full from two oranges and a mango as well. I decided to make the most of my time and get some early morning exercise. I jogged by the stream for a while, then went for a little flying around the island. I got a really good view of the place, it was amazing watching sunrise from this height. As I flew higher though, a feeling came over me...a bad feeling...but why?

I looked up to the sky. Nothing there, but still I had a wierd feeling. I shook it off, and decided to head back to Knuckles' place after some resting.

I arrived to see the red echidna hauling an entire tree to his home.

"Hey Knuckles, what are you doing?" as though it wasn't obvious.

"What do you think? I'm hauling in firewood!" Knuckles snapped at me, clearly not happy about his job. I stifled a laugh as I saw Rouge sitting on a rock nearby, admiring her nails. She probably made him go do the work.

"R-right...can I help?" I offered.

"I'd say yes, but Shadow's been waiting for you inside. So go see what he wants." Knuckles replied, then continued dragging the lumber.

I headed inside, and saw Shadow leaning against the wall by the door with his usual expressionless face. He nodded a greeting to me, then spoke, "Come on Tails, let's go outside. I want to talk to you quick."

"Okay." I followed him out to the stream. We walked over to the sandy side, and he took a seat on a small boulder covered in moss. I climbed up a small tree and sat on a sturdy branch. He was quiet for a while, as though he was thinking about something.

"Tails, you trust me, right?" he asked.

"Uh huh, of course I do." I answered honestly.

Shadow looked to me and gave a small grin, "Really? That's good...you trust me enough to help train to become stronger?" he inquired.

"Y-yeah, if you think it would be worth your time." I spoke, a little taken back by his question of training me.

"Great, let's see...in two hours, Sonic should be here, and Knuckles said he would join us as well. That sound good?" he asked me.

"That would be great!" I had to keep myself from jumping around like an excited Cream upon hearing this. I was going to train with Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles!

"Good, now let's head back; Knuckles looked annoyed with the lack of help." Shadow finished.

"He he, right, let's go." and with that, my day began to unfold before me, and training would soon begin. However, I couldn't help but get that bad feeling again...and once again I shook it off with the excitement I had. I really looked forward to this.

end of chap.14- Okay, first off, sorry for the extremely long delay on this. I'd make up some excuse, but I'll just be blunt: I was lazy. The fact that I have loyal viewers makes me happy, and brought a tear to my eyes...ahem. Well, there we go, the LONG awaited chapter 14 completed. What happens next? Wait and see (yeah, like you haven't been doing that as it is, lol.)


	15. Chapter 15

(Sonic's P.O.V)

I arrived at Knuckles' place around noon with Amy. Shadow had come by earlier saying we should meet at Angel Island (how he convinced Knuckles is beyond me).

"Sonic, don't be too rough on Tails, okay?" Amy said as we walked to the hut where Knuckles lived.

I laughed, "You should be worried about me, Amy. I might have to take Knuckles on in a fight. You know how eager he would be to take a swing at me."

"Sonic, please..." Amy pleaded with a genuinely concerned voice.

"Right, right. Don't worry about it." I replied.

We were now standing outside Knuckles' place, and noticed Rogue flying in the air with Tails. They seemed to be doing some kind of sparring of sorts.

"Tails, never stay on the defensive side for too long or you'll give your opponent the oppurtunity to deal a critical blow to you." Rouge chided, delivering a swift kick which Tails narrowly avoided.

"R-right, well, here I come then!" Tails said, and flew at Rouge. She grabbed his foot, and spun him around, throwing him to the ground below. Tails got up, a look of dissapointment on his face. Rouge gave a sympathetic smile to the fox and landed.

Walking up to the fox, she put a hand under his chin, "Aw, don't feel down about it, Tails. You just need to practice more. Once you've got aerial combat down, you'll definitely have an advantage. Why, that combined with that mind of yours will definitely help. You'll be able to outsmart the guys, especially Knuckles, all the time." she said with a wink. Tails blushed lightly upon hearing this.

"Hey, I heard that!" came the voice of said echidna.

"Good, hopefully you took it to heart too. You're all about brute strength, and nothing about brains." she replied, giving Tails an affectionate hug upon the last part of her scolding. This earned a frown Knuckles, followed by a 'darn bat-woman' from the red haired powerhouse.

Tails walked over to me, still blushing like mad (can't blame him), and smiled to us. Seconds later he was ensnared in one of Amy's signature power hugs, "Nice...to...see you...too...Amy...ow..." he said with a strangled breath.

After we all got settled, Shadow came out of the hut, "So, how do we go about this?"

"I say we fight only in our normal state. Using Chaos Control right off the bat could be a bit too much." I suggested.

"Yeah, I agree." Knuckles said with a nod.

Shadow looked to Tails, who gave his nod of approval, "Very well. So, how about...me and Tails against you and Knuckles?" Shadow asked, looking to me with a smirk.

Knuckles grinned and turned to me. Then Tails let out an enthusiastic 'All right!' If I didn't know any better, I would think that Tails was hoping to fight alongside Shadow.

We walked over to the stony ruins, away from the Master Emerald's altar, and we stood on opposite sides of the battle ground we designated. Knuckles was punching his fists together; a clear indication that someone was in for a world of hurt.

I turned to the red echidna, "So...Tails and Shadow...what do you think Knux?"

He smirked, "Shadow's fast and strong as an ox...Tails...well, he's smart, and I guess he can be unpredictable at times...we just _may_ have our hands full."

Meanwhile, I noticed Tails and Shadow talking, no doubt about a strategy. Shadow simply nodded while Tails was pointing to the both of us, and after a nod from the black hedgehog, the two tailed fox got into a battle stance.

"Are you ready?" I heard Shadow call out to us.

Knuckles nodded to me, "Whenever you are!" I replied for the both of us.

"Let's go!" Shadow yelled, and we ran at each other. Shadow quickly jumped over us both, while Tails started to back away from us. If he was trying to avoid combat with me, he had another thing coming.

Knuckles wasted no time and threw a punch towards Tails. The fox quickly dodged to the left, and grabbed hold of Knuckles arm and used the echidna's momentum to throw him forward.

However...Knuckles wasn't an amateur.

The next thing I knew, I saw Tails go flying off into some unknown direction while a rather disgruntled echidna lowered his fist, "He learned that move from Rouge..." grumbled Knuckles as he dusted himself off from Tails throw.

Shadow ran at us and elbowed me in the stomach, much to my displeasure. I quickly recovered and snap-kicked him in the face, and he flew back a few feet. Shadow ran up to his side and looked to the hedgehog in black. Shadow nodded.

"Okay, let's do this Shadow!" Tails said, and jumped up into the air and begun to propel himself with his tails. After he was flying a good eighty feet or so in the air, Shadow jumped up, and was caught by Tails. Shadow quickly pulled back a hand, and summoned energy.

"Not good..." I heard Knuckles grumble again.

"Chaos Spear!!!" shouted Shadow as Knuckles and I avoided an air raid of yellow bolts of Chaos energy.

"Knuckles, give me a boost!"

"Right!" the echidna ran up to me, and spun me by one arm and leg a few time. After about half a minute, he flung me toward Tails. I rolled into a ball and did a spin dash.

WHACK!!!!

I saw Tails fall to the ground with Shadow close behind. Tails managed to stop his descent and softly landed by propelling his tails. Shadow landed next to him, and nodded to Tails, "Not bad Tails."

"Really? Thanks, Shadow!"

Knuckles ended up taking on Shadow as I squared off a rather hesitant Tails. I heard a crash to see a large chunk of stone column fly towards Shadow, who managed to jump away in time.

"Hey, if this is about me having that last orange for breakfast this morning, then I'm sorry!" came a half-apologetic voice of Shadow.

"I wanted that orange!!!" came the reply of Knuckles, followed by another flying stone ruin.

I turned back to Tails, "Okay, bud, whenever you're ready."

Tails wasted no time, and did a quick zig-zag sprint towards me, leaving behind a trail of dust that I couldn't help but be proud of. Tails was learning the thrill of true speed...but he still had alot to learn.

I caught a fist, and smirked, "Not fast enough..." I said, and tripped him up with my feet and flung him through the air.

Tails quickly rebounded off a wall, and jumped back at me with a flying kick, which almost hit. Tails skidded a few times, but quickly spun around and began a series of high-speed punches and kicks. I never remember him being much of a fighter...

I did a spin dash, and threw him back. As he flew through the air, and smacked into him. I could have hit him again, but decided to let him recover. After a similar procedure four minutes later, Tails got up from the ground, battered and weary, but with a determined look in his eyes.

"Now you asked for it! Here I come!" he yelled, bursting at suprising speed towards me for the second time.

A minute later, Tails was on the ground, out cold. He had alot to learn, but all the time to learn it to. Shadow ended up finishing Knuckles with a haymaker to the jaw, and that's when we decided to end it. If Shadow and I went at it, we'd be here for another six hours, and still not finished fighting.

Later on, Shadow and I were sitting on a log outside of Knuckles' place. Amy was currently attending a rather embarassed Tails' injuries while Rouge was doing the same for Knuckles.

"Sonic, why did you hold back?"

I turned to Shadow, "Hold back? What do you mean?" I asked.

The ebony hedgehog groaned, "Why did you hold back against Tails?" he clarified.

"Oh...well, I didn't want-"

"Didn't want to seriously injure him?" Shadow finished.

"Yeah, that's why." I replied.

"How do you suppose he'll ever reach his potential if you don't give him your all? That's kind of an insult to him if you think about it." Shadow said with frown.

"Hey, lay off, will you? It was his first day, I wanted to see how he is. I'm not going to be easy on him once he gets the hang of things!" I snapped.

Shadow laughed a little, "Sorry...it's just that I predicted this would happen. You're too soft on the kid, and that's what I thought would happen today."

I sighed, he was right, "Yeah...but he's like a little brother to me. I don't want to beat the snot out of him in just some little spar of ours."

"You know...I talked to Tails about this a few minutes ago...he couldn't tell that you were holding back a whole lot, but he said, and I quote, 'I wish Sonic would have beat me into next week back there so I could know where I stand against you guys.' so, he'll catch on eventually..." Shadow got up and looked off to the horizon, "You know, I sensed something inside Tails when he used Chaos Control the other day...you felt it, didn't you?"

I nodded, "Yep. It was faint, but I felt a great surge of some greater power in him...not like us during Chaos Control, but much deeper...it was brief though..."

Shadow closed his eyes and sighed, "He's...not like you, Knuckles, or myself when he's in his Super form. He's calm...and collected. While you tend to be serious and Knuckles becomes flat out cocky, I get short tempered. However, Tails acted like he seemed to have a natural talent at it, even on his first try."

"I know what you mean. He blasted that boulder into dust without so much as blinking." I agreed.

"Well, one way or another, he'll get stronger. I imagine he'll even come up with techniques and powers that you and I could only dream of, given his intelligence."

I looked at Shadow, "Don't tell me that Tails scares you." I smirked.

Shadow returned the smirk, "Don't tell me he doesn't scare you. He's the youngest out of the four of us who can use the Chaos emeralds, and he may very well be the most powerful..."

I got up, "Regardless, he wants to train, so we'll do that with him. Tomorrow I'm going to go through the Spin Dash with him."

Shadow smirked, "You mean that poor-excuse of an attack of yours. He would be better off learning it from me."

I quirked an eyebrow, "Heh, just for that, Tails, Knuckles, and I get to take you on at once in the next fight."

"I look forward to it then." Shadow replied, heading back to the hut.

That night we decided to stay at Angel Island. Knuckles was rather leery about it at first, but after some 'persuasion' from Rouge, he gave in.

I was taking a late night stroll when I saw Tails and Knuckles by the Master Emerald. Tails was looking through a telescope while Knuckles watched him while leaning against a column on the altar. Suddenly, I saw Tails smile, and call over to Knuckles.

"Found it?" Knuckles asked, about what though, I'm not sure.

Tails continued looking through the telescope, "Yep, I'm positive that this is it." I heard a hint of sadness in his response.

Knuckles took a look through the lens, and nodded, "Well, what do you know. You found it."

"Hey you two, what's up?" I called over to the duo.

Knuckles looked up at me, and then to Tails, then at me again, "We're...looking at the spot where we last fought the Metarex...you can still faintly see the light that was left when Shadow froze time and space in that spot..."

I frowned, "Oh..."

Tails gave me a smile, "It's okay, Sonic, I don't mind talking about it. I spent the last month looking all over that section of the galaxy to find that spot...it wasn't easy..."

After we spent sometime doing some further stargazing, we headed back. While walking, I noticed that Tails had suddenly stopped, and was facing a particular direction in the starry sky. He whispered something that sounded like, 'there's that feeling again...'.

"What's wrong, bud?" I asked him.

Tails shook his head, snapping him out of his trance, "Huh? Oh, I'm not...really sure...I've been feeling something wierd for the last couple of days. I don't know why, but I feel like something's been watching us from," he pointed up to the sky, " out there..."

I looked up to the sky, only to see the starts above us shining, "Really? I don't sense anything..."

Tails laughed nervously, "Heh, probably just my imagination or something..." he said dismissively as he turned around to continue walking.

I looked to Tails, and frowned. He was hiding something from me, either that or faking his unconcerned attitude towards whatever was bothering him.

I turned one last time towards the stars, and wondered. Maybe Tails had some kind of sixth sense? I let it go for now, but kept it int the back of my mind to tell to Shadow later on. After the incident that Shadow told me about involving Tails and the Dark Super form of his...I was starting to wonder just how deep Tails' powers went.

"Man, if only I was smart enough to dwell on this stuff without getting a headache..." I said, shrugging my shoulders as I continued back towards Knuckles' place.

end of chap. 15- Hey, I'm back everyone, and I want to apologize to everyone who was thinking I abandoned this story. I managed to find my papers with the story, and managed to motivate myself to get back at the story. I don't know when I'll update next, but I'm back nevertheless!


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